There is no death! The sun goes down To rise upon some fair shore And bright in Heaven's jeweled crown To shine forever more.

There is no death an angel form Walk o'er the earth with silent tread And bears our best loved ones away Although he is not here but at rest!

Mr. Willie James (Sonny/Early Bird) Jackson, the son of the late Rozell and Clea Arnold Jackson, departed this life on June 1, 2021 at 6:31 PM, after a short illness, at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois.

He was born in Dawson, Georgia on December 9, 1945. He was educated in the Muscogee County School District, Columbus, Georgia.

At an early age he attended Gethsemane Baptist Church, Columbus, Georgia. He loved and remained loyal to his faith in God and to the church even after relocating to Chicago. Willie had many nicknames such as Early Bird; this was due to him getting up extra early in the mornings with the chickens to catch a worm. He spent most of his childhood days in Columbus, Georgia and his adult years in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois.

Willie was blessed with twin girls. He loved his daughters and would visit them as much as possible. Sonny was a very giving and kind person to others.

He was predeceased by his father, mother, several brothers and sister: Albert Jackson, Albany, Georgia; Rozell (Jack/Jr.) Jackson, Chicago, IL; Robert L. Jackson, Columbus, Georgia; Marvin Jackson, Jersey City, New Jersey and a sister, Rosa Lee Clark, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Surviving relatives are his twin daughters, California; a beloved sister, Betty Jean Jackson, Columbus, GA: four devoted and loving nieces, Diane Beason, Munster, Indiana; Pastor Gladis Lee, Albany, Georgia; Dana Williams, North Brunswick, New Jersey and Deborah Rose Clark, Bayonne, New Jersey: one nephew, Mau Priest Jabba Jackson (Neka), Sandys Parish, Bermuda: one sister-in-law, Lanette Jackson, Sandys Parish, Bermuda: two special cousins, Brenda Sneed Augustus and Burma Sneed Williams (David), Columbus, GA: cousins, Margie Dyer Cosme, Reading, Pennsylvania; Annie Ruth Dyer, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Peggy Dyer, Jersey City, New Jersey; and Ennis Dyer, Phoenix, Arizona: to include a special friend, Brenda Gaines and her family, Chicago, Illinois and a host of other relatives and friends.

The Memorial Service for Mr. James will be Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. at Evergreen Memorial Garden.

The service will be live streamed. Click link below.

We know thou have gone to a place of rest Then why should our hearts be sad? We know thou has gone where the weary one rest Where the mourners look up and are glad.