Travis Steven Jackson (1963-2022) Obituary and Memorial

Life story

A Life of Service, Humility and Humor. This titan for Christ was born on April 12th, 1963 to Carolyn and Travis in Elko, Nevada. Since he shared his birthday with his older sister, Armenda, he fittingly arrived in this world as a gift, and that would never change. Steve’s stint in Elko was short lived, as his family chose to seek opportunities in a small town in California named Susanville which he proudly called his hometown. Growing up in a small town meant that everyone knew everyone and that your reputation and the way you treated others was everything. You might think that Steve was born knowing all of this, but you would be wrong! Although Steve’s heart was always in the right place, during his earlier years he was known as the troublemaker and bad influence. As in all good stories, God guides the hero back to the right path through good relationships and life lessons. In Steve’s case, God helped him understand the importance of service to others when his father and uncle opened a tire shop and gas station on Main Street called Jackson’s Service Center. Working the Service Station with his family and friends showed Steve the value of building trusting relationships and helping others in any way that he could. Steve was always known as a connector of people, and that started right here. Steve always believed in the little guy and preached that what mattered was the size of the fight in the dog and not the size of the dog in the fight. He went on to graduate from Lassen High School and was fiercely proud of being a junior college transfer (J-Co Transfer baby!) who graduated from Chico State University with a Mathematics degree. He ultimately achieved his Masters in Economics from the University of Nevada (he never put Reno at the end because there is only one University of Nevada) where he proudly served as an adjunct professor of Economics for many years. He also built a successful financial advising business where he truly cared for every single one of his clients. Many have shared with us how Steve always called them for their birthdays, was present at any important event, and would sometimes call or text just to ask how they were doing. Steve’s family relationships are what clearly demonstrate his Christ-like service, humility, and humor. He always said that he was the “modern family” before the TV show and had grand plans of writing a book which he was to title, “The Functioning-Dysfunctionals: The Modern American Family.” In the interest of brevity, I will give you the cliff-notes version: Steve had two children from his first marriage, Travis and Jordyn (“the first batch”), and two children from the love of his life, Christina, named Natalie and Emmersyn (“the second batch”) that he was immensely proud of and dedicated his life to. For the sake of his children, he maintained a healthy relationship with his ex-wife who Christina welcomed into her family with open arms and forged a friendship with. To this day, Steve’s ex-wife is known as “aunty” to Natalie and Emmersyn, and we share all holidays, special events, and, just regular days as one big happy family! This family will continue as one of Steve’s many lasting legacies. Disclaimer: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! All good stories must come to an end here on Earth, and Steve’s story is no exception. He always understood, taught his children, and prepared for the time when he would leave his Earthly story to join his lord and savior, Jesus Christ, in eternity. He counted those who went before him as lucky, and fondly recited Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Although he will be missed by his mother, Carolyn, his step-father, Ken, his father, Travis, his sister, Mendy, his nieces and nephews, his four children; Travis, Jordyn, Natalie, and Emmersyn, his three beautiful grandchildren; Mila Grace, Travis Lukah, and Harrison Steven, and his loving wife of 16 years, Christina we are proud that he selflessly gave the gift of life to many others through organ donation and know that he is among many friends and family in heaven. We are also sure that, in classic Steve fashion, he is chatting it up and building many heavenly relationships to continue to support those here who are waiting to join him. A service for Steve will be held on August 13th at 4PM at Living Stones Church located at 445 S Virginia St., Reno, NV 89501. Steve’s family would like to encourage those who wish to send flowers or gifts to instead donate to the “T. Steven Jackson J-Co Transfer Scholarship” by mailing a check payable to the scholarship to Lassen County Federal Credit Union located at 2605 Riverside Dr., Susanville, CA 96130. To transfer to the fund, you may contact the credit union directly at (530) 257-7736 for instructions.

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