Jaqueline “Jackie” French-Cummings was born on August 9, 1946, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, to Helen Muriel Bailey and Herman Wardell French. She was the eighth of ten children, raised in a full and lively household where life was not always easy, but where strength was learned early. She received her education in Queens, New York a city that helped shape the woman she would become.

Jackie’s early childhood was marked by hardships many could not imagine. At times forced to survive outside the comfort of her childhood home, she developed a toughness that would define her for the rest of her life. She became her own protector and fiercely so for those she loved, especially her baby sister, Wendy. Jackie built a reputation early as someone who would not be played with. Her sharp tongue wasn’t cruelty it was armor. It was how she made sure no one crossed her or those she cared about.

She became a mother at a young age, welcoming her first child, Jeanelle French, with Leroy White. With deep gratitude, the family acknowledges her cousin Gaynell, who lovingly stepped in to raise Jeanelle. Later, Jackie married Willie James Cummings, and together they built a family, raising three sons: Juan, Gregory, and Willie Jr.”

In the 1960s, Jackie relocated from South Jamaica, Queens, to Long Island City, where she continued to plant roots and build her life. In 1979, she endured the loss of her husband, Willie Cummings a moment that tested her strength, but did not break it. She later welcomed her youngest daughter, Mia Adams, with Edward Donald Adams, and continued raising her family in Long Island City, Queens.

Jackie dedicated her life to caring for others through her work as a Home Health Aide with the Social Concern Agency, a role she carried with pride and compassion until her retirement. Even beyond her profession, caring for others was simply who she was.

To know Jackie was to understand both her fire and her love. She was quick to check you if you stepped out of line no hesitation, no filter but it always came from a place of protecting what mattered most to her. Beneath that fiery exterior was a woman with a deeply generous heart. She gave what she could, even though she had very little. Her home was a place of warmth, laughter, and full plates. No one ever left her table hungry and if she made you a plate, you were going to finish it, especially those greens.

Jackie loved hard. She stood firm. She protected fiercely. She gave selflessly. Her life was not an easy one, but it was a powerful one marked by resilience, sacrifice, and an unwavering love for her family.

She was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Jeanelle French; and her siblings, Donald “Donnie,” Lorraine, Dolores “Joyce,” and Vonda.

She leaves behind a lasting legacy through her loving children: Juan, Gregory, Willie, and Mia. She also leaves behind her cherished daughters-in-laws, Wanda Brown-Cumming and Sharene Cummings. Jackie’s love continues through her grandchildren: Pelham, Javon, Cameron, Anisha, Keithan, Kyle, Jared, Desyne, TyQuasha, Kasim, Josh, and Jameia; along with her great-grandchildren, who brought her immense pride and joy. She is also survived by her dear siblings: Charles “Unga,” Shirley, Glenn, and Wendy; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and all those whose lives she touched with her strength, her honesty, and her heart.

Jackie’s story is one of survival, protection, and love that never wavered even in the face of life’s greatest challenges.

Lovingly Submitted, 

The Family