Jevon Naurice Jackson who was affectionately known as “Jevon Skevon”, “Jevy Bevy” or “SurDoc” was born in Kingston, New York, in the early morning of May 6, 1983 to the proud parents of James Freeman Jackson Jr. and Debra Ann Livingston. He was the third of four children. 

Jevon had a soft heart for the things of God and received Christ at the early age of eight. He took his salvation seriously and was very committed to living a life pleasing to God. Around the age of 14, Jevon received the Holy Ghost. He did not mind sharing that he received the Holy Ghost one day while showering. His parents and siblings can attest to this fact. Jevon loved the Lord and knew he had a calling on his life. He knew he could not compromise his faith if he wanted to live a life pleasing to God so instead of following the crowd, he took a stand and became known as “that Christian guy” in high school. At age 22, Jevon answered the call on his life and became an ordained minister with the Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Emeritus Pastor Edward G. Carter of Prayer Assembly COGIC.

Jevon loved music. At the age of four, his parents realized Jevon had a special gift for music when Jevon insisted to his mother that he could play the songs she was learning on the piano for a Christmas pageant. When he began playing the songs simply from listening to the song and watching his mother’s hands move across the keys, they knew they had to enroll him in piano lessons. Jevon began taking piano lessons, and at the encouragement of his music teacher, was later enrolled in a performing arts school in Buffalo. where he learned how to read and play classical music. He became so proficient that neighbors all across his neighborhood would leave their doors or windows open, or come to his window in the evenings just to hear him play. At the age of 10, Jevon had the opportunity to play at the Governor’s Mansion for the Governor of New York. 

Jevon’s talents were limitless. Whatever instrument he wanted to play, he taught himself how to play it through hearing. Jevon taught himself how to play the piano, guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, alto saxophone, the recorder, the harmonica, and other instruments. He also was a composer of music. It wasn’t until the family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona in August 1996 and began attending Prayer Assembly Church of God In Christ, that Jevon learned to play the organ with the help of his “big brother’s” Stevie Robinson and Keith Carter. Jevon would later meet what his oldest son Aiden would affectionately call the “old man boy band” and play all over Arizona for various church and musical events. He would also become the organist and integral part of the music and AV departments for his home church.

It was at his home church where he met his future wife, Natalie Bethea, at the home of her parents in Glendale, AZ. From there began their friendship. Jevon and Natalie began their love story on the night of her sister’s prom in 1998. It was then that Jevon told Natalie that God said she was going to be his wife. Natalie burst into laughter and did not give him any other response. Both Jevon and Natalie kept their feelings for each other a secret until Jevon got the courage to tell her later that year that he really liked her and wanted to pursue a relationship with her. She also shared the same feelings for him. Both being forbidden by their parents to date during high school, began their relationship as “special friends” from the ages of 15 until Natalie graduated from high school. Their relationship then flourished throughout college. May 30th, 2005, Jevon decided to make his intentions for Natalie known to her parents by asking them for her hand in marriage. Her parents gladly accepted Jevon’s request and only made one stipulation on marriage: Natalie had to graduate from nursing school first. On March 18, 2006, nine months later and one week after she graduated from nursing school, Jevon and Natalie were united in marriage. From their union, they were blessed with four beautiful children (Aiden (14), Victoria (10), Isabelle (7), and Lucas (7)).

Jevon was a highly intelligent and successful man. He obtained a B.S. and MBA degree from the University of Phoenix, and was months away from completing his Doctorate in General Psychology and Industrial Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University (GCU).He had a love for all things technology and medical related. He originally wanted to become a surgical doctor (hence the nickname SurDoc), but God had other plans. He possessed extensive training in technology, with wide-ranging experience in software engineering, IT consultation,software architecture, and mobile, cloud, and web development. He also had knowledge and experience in organizational and business development, corporate culture, psychology, and cancer research for which he became a published author. Prior to Jevon becoming part of the full-time faculty at Grand Canyon University in 2017, he participated in numerous corporate initiatives for which he developed various innovative solutions, owned and operated a successful web development firm and a financial services firm, and served as a corporate trainer and motivational speaker. In 2023 Jevon became one of the youngest and first black Assistant Dean of the College of Technology at Grand Canyon University (GCU). Jevon loved GCU and being a teacher and mentor. He enjoyed seeing the joy on his students’ faces when they learned something new. One of his many research and teaching goals included bridging technology with psychology, business, and medicine by use of AI, machine learning, and deep learning.

Jevon had a uniqueness all of his own. He was a humble, gentle giant. Jevon embraced his dorkiness, told corny dad jokes, had a contagious belly laugh and a great smile. But it was clear he loved God and he lived by the scripture “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:24). 

Jevon was preceded in death by his four grandparents (Dorothy Dubose, James Freeman Jackson Sr., Riley Livingston, Thelma Livingston), and his and Natalie’s “Angel Baby”. He leaves to cherish his memory and live his legacy, his loving wife Natalie (Bethea) Jackson, his four children: Aiden Jackson, Victoria Jackson, Isabelle Jackson, Lucas Jackson, his parents: James Freeman Jackson Jr., Debra Jackson, his three siblings: Jamar Jackson (wife Dorinda Jackson), Devina Jackson, and Jeremy Jackson; In-Laws: Charles Bethea (father) Melba Bethea (mother), Tiffany Bethea (sister), Marcus Bethea (brother – wife Dwanna Bethea), nieces and nephews: Nanice Jackson, Kamaile Jackson, Lyanna Shelby, Micah Bethea, Samantha Harris, Ashley Bethea, Morgan Bethea, Regan Bethea, Joshua Polite, Prayer Assembly church family, godchildren, and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, colleagues, and students.