Mr. Andrew Travis Jackson, Jr., age 101 of Carrollton, GA passed away Friday, January 10, 2020 at Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton. Travis Jackson was born February 9, 1918 in Carrollton in the house that he grew up in located at 52 West Ave. His parents were Andrew Travis Jackson, Sr. and Kiba Cook Jackson, and he was their 3rd child and the only boy. He often said that his sisters picked on him quite a bit, but I think it was all in good fun. The house was a Methodist Parsonage before Travis Sr. bought it, and Travis Jr. thought it was the coldest, draftiest house there ever was. The winds would whip right through the wood siding, and it had no underpinning, so the cold came up through the floors also. As he was growing up in that house, he had a small bedroom closest to the fireplace, and it was his job to keep the fire going all night. So he spent many cold, sleepless nights in that drafty old house. Another one of his household chores included keeping up with the garden which was quite large. It was pretty hard work and he did not like it very much, so when he saw other kids playing, he would often go join them. Travis and all the other kids loved to play games such as Peg, Hide and Seek, Hockey on Cedar Street, Tops for tobacco tags, and Horse Shoes. They also Shot Marbles for Keeps, Skated up and down the sidewalks, and went to the Picture Show. One time, Travis even won $ 25.00 on prize night, which was a really big deal at that time. Some of his favorite memories as a child include driving out to Bowden for family reunions or to the church at Yellow Dirt in Heard County, where his father was from, to all day singings called the Sacred Heart. He said it would take a long time to travel there because they would usually have a couple of flat tires along the way. Travis's father owned several stores at different times in Carrollton. One of them was a Five and Dime Store located where The Irish Pub is now. He often played there as a child and remembers especially all the people coming to town in their wagons on the weekends to sell their wares and pick up supplies. During the week, a car would drive by about once an hour, but on the weekends it was packed. The weekends were the busiest times for his father and he would stay at the store until late in the night. When he came home late on Saturday night, he always brought candy home for the family, which was a real treat for Travis. Playing baseball and tennis became a big part of Travis's life during his teen years. He played catcher for The Carrollton Farmers baseball team, and in 1935, they brought magic to the town. The team was sponsored by the merchants in town and they travelled all over the South winning game after game. They won the District Tournament by beating Glendale, then The North Georgia Tournament by beating Rome. They had to beat Macon in the finals of the State Tournament, and there was quite a controversy. The Carrollton Farmers had to play Macon in Macon. Carrollton was winning the game, and the people in the stands became very angry and stormed the field and fought the coaches. After the melee, the Carrollton boys were stunned and ended up losing the game. However, the Carrollton team protested and it was decided that the game would be replayed in Atlanta at the old Cracker's Ballpark on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Well, The Carrollton Farmers just beat the stew out of the Macon team that time; they actually shut them out. Their next step was to win the Southeastern Championship Tournament in Tampa, Fla. That win launched them to the National Tournament in North Carolina where they played in front of crowds of up to 30,000 people. They had a great tournament and made it to the finals, but ended up losing to a team from North Carolina. The whole town of Carrollton followed the boys of summer and the winning spirit was contagious for all. Travis also played a lot of tennis during his high school years. Some buddies asked him to play and at first he hit all the balls over the fence, but he soon figured it out and became a very good player. He played on a court on Stewart Street with friends Billy Johnson, Edith Foster, Harris Hay and several others. A little later, he played on a court just off South Street, not far from The Stewart House. He continued to play tennis all throughout his life until he was about 90. He graduated from Carrollton High school shortly after the summer of baseball in '35 and went to West Georgia College for two years. He played tennis and baseball for WGC and enjoyed the experience there very much. His favorite teacher was his French teacher. In 1937, he decided to work instead of going to college and he got a job in a jewelry store. It only took one year for him to decide to go back to school. He enrolled at The University of Georgia and soon learned that it was pretty tough. He flunked two classes his first semester, but he was determined to make it through college, so he buckled down and learned how to study. Travis graduated in 1940 with a business degree and has been a Proud Bulldog ever since. After he graduated, Travis landed a job with Rich's in Atlanta working retail in the Men's Department. He stayed there for five years and once had the opportunity to wait on Margaret Mitchell, although he did not know it at the time. She was buying clothes for her husband. In 1945, Travis took a job with the TVA and lived in Nashville for a while. He was able to travel quite a bit with this job and saw much of the Eastern United States from New York to Florida. Travis returned to Carrollton in 1948 at the request of his father who need help running the Jackson Feed Store on Rome Street. Later, they went into partnership with Mr. Burson, and in 1955, they sold out to him, and the store is still there today. Travis went to work for Southwire at that time and always told everyone that he was a pencil pusher. He remained with the company until 1984 when he retired at the young age of 67. While he was working at the Feed Store, he met Kathleen Knight, an Elementary School teacher who also helped Travis Sr. in his role as Treasurer of the First Baptist Church. They began seeing each other and were married in 1952. They lived in Hightower Apartments at first then moved into their first home on Maple Street. Their two children, Susan and Clay, were born and they moved to Cedar Street and lived there for seven years. Their last move was to Chapel Heights in 1965 where they lived for 50 years and made a great life together with many wonderful memories. Kathleen died seven years ago and was fondly remembered by former students and townspeople alike. Since retirement, Travis enjoyed playing tennis and pool, volunteering for special needs children, arranging travel expeditions for his groups at Trinity Church, traveling across the United States, lots of yard work, and walking. Mr. Jackson was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Kathleen Jackson, and sisters, Agnes Dobbs, Eleanor Brainard, and Francis Jackson. Survivors include his daughter, Susan Jackson, of Houston, TX, and son, Clay Jackson, of Villa Rica, GA. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:00am to 12:00pm prior to the service. Funeral services for Mr. Jackson will be held Monday, January 13, 2020 at Trinity Baptist Church, 501 Northside Drive, Carrollton, GA 30117, with Rev. Jay Sutton officiating. Interment will follow in Carrollton City Cemetery. Jeff Driver, Don Sharp, Dan Holder, Wayne Holder, Barrett Marler, and Walt Hollingsworth will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Harry Cooper and Dr. Nelson Dobbs. Flowers will be accepted or those who desire may make contributions in memory of Mr. Jackson to Trinity Baptist Church, 501 Northside Drive, Carrollton, GA 30117, the American Heart Association, 1101 Northchase Pkwy, Marietta, GA 30067, or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 56567, Atlanta, GA 30343. Almon Funeral Home of Carrollton has charge of arrangements.