Jacquelyn "Jackie" Denman

Funeral services for Jackie, 87, of Cleburne, will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Visitation will be Friday, January 9th from 6:00-8:00 PM; both will be held at Westhill Church of Christ in Cleburne, TX.

Jacquelyn Lorelle Martin was born on July 8, 1938, in Mineral Wells, Texas to Clara Belle Middleton Martin and Cleburne Martin, and passed from this life on December 27, 2025 at the age of 87 years old. Jackie grew up in Mineral Wells, where a deep love of God and service to her church and community was instilled in her heart as she grew up the daughter of a preacher/elder father and a godly, servant-minded mother. At an early age, Jackie developed a love of singing and playing the piano. Jackie graduated from Mineral Wells High School as salutatorian of her class. The summer after graduation, she went to Camp Sunset where she met Gene Denman. They were the first “Mr. and Miss Camp Sunset.” She attended Abilene Christian College that fall where she dated Gene and cheered him on from the sidelines of his basketball games at ACC. After two years, they married on June 3, 1958; that union lasted 65 years.

Jackie was a devoted wife and stay-at-home mother to their five children. A part of raising her children was teaching them God’s word at home with scriptures on their bathroom mirror; these scriptures later became a scripture card ministry.

Her second career was as the City Secretary in Hutchins and Lancaster, TX. for 29 years.

After she retired from municipal work, Gene and Jackie relocated to Cleburne, TX, where Jackie was a church secretary at Central church of Christ. Jackie gave back to her new hometown by volunteering at CISD reading to kindergarten students for almost twenty years.

In 2005, Jackie was diagnosed with cancer, but she didn’t let cancer dominate the conversation or her way of life. She believed in Christ over cancer, redirecting her community service, ministering from home by mailing personal scripture and encouragement cards to church, friends, and family.

Jackie was an accomplished seamstress making her family’s clothes, bridesmaids dresses, and several wedding dresses too. She was a Bible class teacher at church teaching cradle roll as well as adult ladies’ Bible classes.

Acts of love shown to her family included presenting each grandchild with a Bible that she spent a year on annotating and highlighting scriptures for them; these Bibles were presented to each grandchild on their 18th Birthday. For her great-grandkids, she made them a baby quilt after their birth.

While going through her 20-year battle with cancer, Jackie continued to walk through doors that God opened for her. She was appreciative of how the compassionate Santa Fe Trails Assisted Living family helped ease her pain and provided her with love and friendship until her passing.

Jackie is preceded in death by her parents, Cleburne and Clara Belle Martin, brother Riley Martin, and husband Gene.

She is survived by five children: David (Sandy) Denman of Midlothian; Jill (Russell) Crook of Cleburne; Don (Varina) Denman of Burleson; Judy (Mark) Edge of Tyler and Dan (Melissa) Denman of The Colony; Seventeen grandchildren, and twenty-six great-grands. Other survivors include a brother, Ron (Carol) Martin; sister Jadi Martin, and sisters-in-law Mackey Martin, Shirley Denman, and Elaine Denman as well as many other much-loved nieces and nephews.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Bridge Benevolence Center or Westhill Christian Preschool; both are outreach ministries of the Westhill Church of Christ, P.O. Box 766, Cleburne, TX 76033.