Cover story

Musical match: Darrell and Norma Jean Jackson have built a lasting love together through music

Meet Darrell and Norma Jean Jackson, a couple who have said yes when God called them to serve different parishes, different cultures and even different parts of the country.

BY ANNIE LUST

Norma Jean was born in Lubbock, Texas, the second of ten children. Her parents were migrant farmers who moved their family to Ohio for the cherry season. Norma Jean did not begin school at a normal age. “That was common for kids who lived on migrant farms at that time,” Norma Jean explained. A movement started by Cesar Chavez, a Latino American civil rights activist, eventually organized busing to take children who lived on migrant farms to school. Norma Jean had to work very hard as a Spanish speaker, particularly during her first few years of school – “I could not understand what people were saying,” she recalled. She credits the First Communion preparation she received from a religious sister as her greatest tool in learning to read: “She told me to follow along in the missalette, so I sat up front and listened to the lector and cantor and just followed the words along.” Norma Jean's family moved to Toledo, and she went to Libbey High School.

Darrell was born and raised in Central Toledo with his parents and one brother. “Being a kid, it was great growing up in Toledo,” Darrell remembered with a smile, “riding bikes, swimming, cutting grass in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter.” He attended Libbey High School where he met Norma Jean in choir. Norma Jean recalls with a laugh, “We made a commitment to get married and leave Toledo. We bought oneway tickets to Los Angeles.” It was their first leap of faith; many would follow. By the time they moved to LA, they had a daughter. A son would follow a few years later.

Norma Jean’s first priority in the “Golden State’’ was to find a spiritual home. Norma Jean took her daughter on a bus ride to look for Catholic Churches. They found the Church of the Transfiguration in South Los Angeles, a Catholic parish that quickly embraced the Jacksons. On her first visit, Norma Jean met Miss Thelma: “She was one of the ‘church mothers’ who took me in and told me what I needed to do, what I needed to sign up for…” Miss Thelma was one of many “church mothers” who took the Jacksons under their wings. In fact, it was one such woman who nudged Darrell to get involved in Catholicism. Although he was baptized Methodist, Darrell explained, “When my son was being baptized, the choir was singing, and they sang a song that I recognized from my grandma’s funeral. I started singing and one of the ‘church mothers’ nudged me and said ‘you should be up there.’ So I joined the choir.” It was the first of many things Darrell joined at the parish, including RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). Before long, the Jacksons were asked to start a youth group, and they did. Next, they were asked to cantor for the Saturday Mass, and they did that, too. They started a youth choir which began with four children and grew to 40 children. At Transfiguration Parish, Darrell and Norma Jean embraced a philosophy that has since guided every move – they said yes. “We come. We open our ears and hearts to what God wants us to do, and we do it,” Darrell said. Even when it’s difficult. “I did not want to leave Transfiguration,” he said. But God had other plans, and “we always say yes,” Norma Jean replied. Saying yes when God asked them to get involved, turned into a passion for Darrell and Norma Jean. “I am very passionate about serving the Black Catholic community,” Darrell explained. He was invited to study at Loyola Marymount University and received certification in both African American studies and Pastoral Music. Meanwhile, Norma Jean transitioned from a career in the aerospace industry to a career in education which led to a Master’s in Theology in Intercultural Studies. It became a great tool for Norma Jean because Sacred Heart outside Los Angeles asked the Jacksons to serve at their parish. As they so often did, Darrell and Norma Jean said yes. This parish was very different – Transfiguration was 95 percent African American and their new parish was 95 percent Hispanic. For Norma Jean, it was back to her childhood roots. “We learned about the different cultures of the Latin community, the Guatemalans, the El Salvadorans, the Mexicans and all of their various traditions,” she explained. They were working with a different group of people, but Norma Jean and Darrell jumped in just as they had at their previous parish. Their first initiative was to get the youth involved through a youth group, retreats, teen choir, as well as encouraging young people to serve as lectors, ushers, etc. for the liturgy. Another major accomplishment was promoting intercultural learning for the parish: “Not multicultural. Intercultural, meaning we learned about each other’s traditions, language, food,” Darrell shared. This intercultural learning environment meant that special Masses were trilingual, so “everybody was able to come and celebrate and get a little of their own culture and a little of everyone else’s,” Norma Jean said. “Things were going great,” Darrell laughed. “And then I got another call,” Norma Jean shrugged.

The couple's music ministry, Rejoicing Voices, exercised at parishes and events around the Diocese of Toledo. They regularly sing at St. Jerome in Walbridge where they are pictured.

PHOTO BY SCOTT W GRAU/SPECIAL TO THE DIOCESE OF TOLEDO

Their next parish was St. Jane Frances de Chantal in North Hollywood. Norma Jean served as the Director of Evangelization/Faith Formation. Two years later, Norma Jean got another call from St. Bernadette in South Los Angeles. Then, they received a call of a different kind.

Norma Jean at 17 and Darrell at 19 shortly after they met in choir at Libbey High School.

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By this time, their two children were grown; they lived as “empty nesters” for six years. Their granddaughter, Willow, was born, and when she was ten days old, she came to live with Darrell and Norma Jean. Just over a year later, their grandson, Roman, was born. He, too, came to live with them. A few years later, Norma Jean and Darrell formally adopted Willow and Roman. “They’re our babies,” Darrell added with a smile. They have four other grandchildren as well.

The Jackson family outside their Toledo home. They returned to Ohio in 2019 after spending more than three decades in California.

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This time Darrell heard a call. It was 2018, and the Jacksons had lived in California for nearly forty years. “Los Angeles had been good for us – our careers, education, the culture,” he said. But he felt a call to come home to Northwest Ohio. So, they prayed about it. Norma Jean called her sisters, who lived near Toledo. She inquired about schools for Willow and Roman. Her sisters indicated that there are great Catholic schools in Toledo. Norma Jean said they’d need a house. Her sisters went househunting until they found a house they unanimously agreed on. Darrell and Norma Jean bought it, not seeing it themselves until they relocated to Toledo. The house was not the only leap of faith. “I started putting out resumes,” Norma Jean said. She landed at St. Jerome Church in Walbridge as the Director of Ministry and Evangelization. Darrell was asked to serve as Music Director at St. Martin de Porres Church until the pandemic hit.

Having met in choir as teens nearly forty years ago, and remaining true to their roots, Darrell and Norma Jean have never stopped singing together. As a musical duo, they have the ministry Rejoicing Voices (rejoicingvoices.com) Since returning to Toledo, they have sung at the Diocesan Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration, the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, the monthly Ministry to Catholic Charismatic Renewal Night of Healing events, Cardinal Stritch School Masses, and for funerals, weddings, quinceañeras and more. Norma Jean and Darrell are passionate about sharing faith and culture with everyone who hears their music. “It’s kind of like catechesis through music. Everyone receives something,” Norma Jean said. That might mean learning something about the Catholic faith, a different culture or music. Likewise, they have embraced the midwest culture and found the people and parishes to be incredibly warm and welcoming.

Darrell is also a member of the Diocese of Toledo’s Black Catholic Ministry and runs the Diocese of Toledo's Black Catholics Facebook page (@toledoblackcatholics). He’s excited “to strategize on how to evangelize.” That means reaching out to Black Catholics but also evangelizing white Catholics and sharing African American culture and music, and how it can be beautifully incorporated into the liturgy. “It’s all about celebrating culture,” Darrell said.

Darrell and Norma Jean do all of this while raising a five-year-old and a six-year-old. While many people who are Darrell and Norma Jean’s age are retiring, moving to warmer climates or traveling, they are in Ohio talking about Willow’s dance class and Roman’s karate class. “It’s all about acceptance and finding joy in everything in life,” Darrell said. It’s clear that they do. Willow and Roman share a love of music as well. “At night, we sing to them, read a book, say our prayers and off to sleep they go,” Norma Jean said. “They have been a blessing,” Darrell added. For Norma Jean and Darrell, those two children are a constant reminder that when God asks and you respond yes, incredible things happen. “None of these things would have happened to us if we hadn’t said yes,” Norma Jean concluded.