Obituary of Yusef Theo Jackson

Yusef Theo Jackson was born on Thursday, October 13, 1988. It was 55 degrees and partly cloudy, but he brought a ray of sunshine into the Jackson household. Yusef means God increases and Theo means Divine gift. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” ~1 Peter 4:10 Yusef was the youngest of three sons and was affectionately known as Sef by his family and friends. His brothers had their special name for him and they would be the only ones to call him Icy. When Yusef was six months in his mother’s belly, he was a very active little guy, and later we would understand why. He would become our little drummer boy. Sef would bang on anything to get a different sound. He broke up buckets, tops, pots, and pans. We had no choice but to purchase him a drum set. He would become a member of the East Side Steppers Drum Core and compete for the position of a Snare Drum player. Precision was his step; rudiments were his tune, and beating that drum was the happiest past time in his life besides hollering at the girls of course. Sef also played baseball and basketball. He was always respectful to his elders. He had a beautiful spirit and a smile. He loved praising God in his heart, and with his drums. He always encouraged people to do their best. He was a good soul, a giver, kind, but always willing to speak his mind on the subject. When Sef was 8 years old he was diagnosed with liver disease and later became epileptic. He was in and out of the hospitals but never lost his faith. He would always tell us that “Jesus is going to heal me.” Yusef attended the Wilmington Public Schools and graduated from Brandywine High School in 2007. After graduation, he pursued his passion as an avid drummer. Yusef took his skills to church as a musician for various praise teams, but his heart belonged to Restoration World Outreach, where he was a member and played drums for nine years. Yusef leaves to cherish his memory; his parents, Charneece & Benjamin Jackson, his two older brothers Ben Jr. and LeVarr Jackson, and sister Sherell McKnight. His paternal grandmother, Carolyn Jones. Uncles; Kevin McManus, Junie McManus, Herc Jones, and Carl Foster. Aunts; Gloria Dabney, Geneva Williams, Patricia Hines, and honorary Aunts; Penny, Kenza, Babbie, Darlene, Sandi, NiQue’, and Diane; Best friends Jeff and John, along with many cousins and friends.