Jackie King Lord

Jackie King Lord, age 79, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2026. Born in Hodge, Louisiana, she was the daughter of the late Jack King and Inez Prohn Hardee.

A true Louisiana girl at heart, Jackie’s earliest years were spent in Jonesboro and Natchitoches, where she made treasured memories that stayed with her for a lifetime. She often remembered the carefree days of her youth, especially waterskiing on Cane River as a teenager. Those memories of family, water, sunshine, and the beauty of her hometown remained close to her heart throughout her life.

Jackie built a respected career as a bookkeeper and legal secretary, serving faithfully in several professional roles over the years. She worked with the Hohenberg Cotton Company in Selma and later with Doug Hollyhand Realty and Construction Company in Tuscaloosa. Her work was marked by the same qualities that defined her life: dependability, kindness, thoughtfulness, and a quiet determination to do things well.

While Jackie was accomplished in her professional life, art was one of the great callings of her heart. Her artistic journey began in Selma, where a painting class opened a door to a lifelong passion for beauty, creativity, and expression. Over the years, she became a gifted painter whose work included oils, acrylics, watercolors, photography, portraits, and abstract pieces. She found inspiration in the people, places, colors, and ordinary moments around her, often using photographs she had taken as the beginning of a new work of art.

Jackie’s talent became well known throughout Selma and beyond. She was commissioned by several local families to paint portraits of their homes, preserving the places that held their most precious memories. Her paintings were not merely images on canvas; they reflected the way she saw the world—with warmth, imagination, compassion, and a keen eye for the beauty that others might overlook.

She was also deeply involved in the Selma Art Guild, serving as its president and helping it become a meaningful place for local artists to gather, create, and share their work. Through her connection with the Hohenberg family, Jackie played an instrumental role in helping the Guild find its longtime home at 508 Selma Avenue. She believed deeply in the importance of giving artists a place to belong and encouraging others to share their gifts with the community. Even decades later, the Art Guild and its gallery remained a special part of her heart.

For Jackie, art was also a source of healing. She often spoke of painting as therapy and as a way to bring hope through difficult seasons. Her faith and her creativity were closely intertwined, and she viewed her own artistic life as an “Emmaus walk”—a journey of discovery, gratitude, and grace. Jackie was a faithful Christian woman who loved her church family. She was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Selma before moving to Tuscaloosa, where she found a beloved community among her Sunday School class and friends at First United Methodist Church. The friendships she formed there, the prayers she shared, and the fellowship she enjoyed were a source of great comfort and joy in her life.

Above all else, Jackie loved her family. She found her greatest happiness in being present for the people she loved most. She was the grandmother who showed up—at dance recitals, music programs, softball games, track meets, school events, and every milestone she could attend. Her grandchildren always knew they could count on her encouragement, her pride, and her steady presence in the crowd.

She held a particularly special place in her heart for her trips to Dairy Queen with her three granddaughters. Those moments, ordinary as they may have seemed at the time, became the kind of memories that a family carries forever. Jackie also loved making memories with her family at Blue Mountain Beach near Destin. Those trips were filled with time together, laughter, stories, and the kind of peaceful family moments that meant more to her than anything else. Whether she was gathered around a table with family, sitting beside the water, cheering from the stands, or painting quietly with a brush in her hand, Jackie had a way of making life feel more meaningful.

She was preceded in death by her beloved son, Todd Walker Lord.

She is survived by her daughter, Angela Lord (Robert Michael) Smith; grandchildren, Steven (Megan) Lord, Austin (Kourtney) Lord, Anna Grace Smith, Margaret “Maggie” Smith, and Emilee Smith; great-grandchildren, Mason Lord, Jace Lord, Andrew Lord and Olivia Lord and many extended family members and friends who will forever treasure her memory.

Funeral services will be held Friday, June 26, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel of Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home of Selma with Gordon Welch officiating. Interment will follow at New Live Oak Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon, prior to the service.

Jackie leaves behind a legacy painted in far more than oils and watercolors. It is found in the lives she touched, the family she loved so fiercely, the church friends she cherished, the artists she encouraged, and the beautiful memories she helped create. Her life was a masterpiece of faith, creativity, service, and love.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Selma Art Guild in Jackie’s memory, honoring the organization she loved and the artistic community she helped nurture.