Vernessa S. Heron

Vernessa Jackson Heron, lovingly known as "Nene", was born on November 3, 1966 to the late Harriet Jackson and Michael Jackson.

She was married to Darren Heron. They produced two children, Darren Jr. and Cherice.

Vernessa had a deeply giving heart and always wanted to help others. After graduating from Evander Childs High School and later earning her associate's degree from Bronx Community College, she pursued certifications in Nursing Assistance and Phlebotomy. She also managed to work numerous jobs at locations including Skyview Nursing Home, Westchester Medical Center, and White Plains Linen. She also volunteered working with children when she was younger. After gaining some work experience, she decided to become a full-time wife and mother, which she enjoyed greatly. She wanted to take care of her husband and children.

She was an incredibly creative and artistic person who dreamed of becoming a dancer in her younger years. She loved music, singing, dance, and musicals such as Grease and Little Shop of Horrors. Music was something she bonded over deeply with her son, and she helped shape his love for music and hip hop.

Vernessa especially loved cooking and caring for others through food. She created precious memories teaching family how to make cookies, mashed potatoes with gravy, and her mother's macaroni and cheese recipe. The holidays were one of her favorite times of the year because she loved cooking full Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for the family. After marrying Darren, who is Jamaican, she even learned how to cook Jamaican dishes like oxtail, curry goat, and jerk chicken.

In her later years, she enjoyed arts and crafts, painting, rhinestone art, and knitting. She put many of her own professional goals on hold to care for family, including raising her son and supporting her husband during his deployment in the Air Force while they lived in the Philippines, where Cherice was later born.

She was an incredibly generous person who always opened her home to family members in need. When the family moved to Beacon, many relatives stayed with them while getting settled in the area. She loved having family around and helped however she could.

Vernessa leaves behind to cherish her memory her husband, Darren Heron, Sr.; her two children, Darren Heron, Jr. and Cherice Heron; her siblings, Gerard, Pierre, Vanessa, Laurie, and Raven; as well as a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.

She will be sadly missed.