Jessie Leona Littlejohn

Jessie Leona Littlejohn, age 80, passed away in the early hours of September 17, 2024, with her loving daughter and granddaughter (Katherine) by her side. Jessie is survived by her two sisters, Emma Retta Burgie (Otis Burgie) and Mayme Lincoln; long time soulmate Frank Jordan; her loving daughter Andre Massey; sons William Snell and Bernard Massey; her grandchildren, Katherine (Aaron Brown), Jessica, Diamond, Tyson, Jamaal, Sarah and Anaya; her great-grandchildren, Jermaine, A’kilah, Destiny, and Quincy; and her bonus granddaughter Ciera Smith, as well as many nieces and nephews. 

Jessie was born in Billings, Montana, on January 13, 1944, to Luther Weathersby and May Lee Littlejohn. Jessie was the middle child of her two sisters, Emma Retta and Mayme. When she was 9 years old, Jessie and her mother, May Lee, relocated temporarily to Denver, Colorado, for an open-heart surgery procedure Jessie had to undergo. In 1953, her family moved from Montana to the Bay Area and planted family roots there. Jessie was baptized and attended Star Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. After graduating high school from Emery High School, Jessie studied nursing but changed her mind early on, as she found out she had to dissect a frog (as told by loving granddaughter Jessica).

Jessie went on to work at the Oakland/Alameda Army Base before switching careers to work for the Federal Government under the Social Security Administration. Jessie raised her three children in Berkeley, California, for the most part on Alcatraz Avenue. Jessie relocated to Ashby Avenue and loved to host holidays and family gatherings in what was known as the “Big Pink House”, where her granddaughter Katherine would spend many days with her grandmother, as she attended Berkeley High School. 

Jessie wasn’t much of a traveler and was a late bloomer when it came to driving, her sisters and brother-in-law chauffeured her around until 1973, when she obtained her driver’s license and purchased a Ford Pinto. She put some miles on that Pinto, as she drove her kids to Disney every summer and one year ventured into Tijuana Mexico. Jessie loved her visits with her first cousin, Beatrice Kyser and Husband (Myron) in Denver Colorado, although her and Myron would squabble the entire time, but neither would have any other way. 

After working 34-years for the Social Security Administration, in 2001, Jessie retired to become a full-time grandmother, and relocated to Elk Grove, California.

After relocating to Elk Grove, CA, Jessie and her granddaughter Jessica (or Mutt and Jeff, as Andre called them) soon developed their schedule by the time Jessica was 3, with just the two of them existing in their little world. Jessie would pick up her granddaughter from ballet or daycare, and they’d sneak off to iHop at least twice a week to get short stacks of pancakes. By the time Jessica was in elementary school, they had created a coin-collecting hobby, and by the time Jessica was in middle school, Jessie took her to and from dance lessons, swim lessons and play dates. She was a devoted grandmother and never missed a beat in her grandchildren’s lives. 

Jessie soon became everyone’s “Granny”.

From school friends to Girl Scout troops, everyone knew Granny. For years, she picked up her granddaughter Jessica and friends from Elementary to High School and conducted a carpool. Tyia, Andrew, Nia, and CiCi soon became her “after-school children,” as she referred to them. From run-ins at the grocery store to neighborhood gatherings, the first of many questions was “How’s Granny ?”

After retirement, Jessie also spent 11 years volunteering at Kaiser Hospital, two days per week, making many friends at the gift shop and working at the outpatient surgery center. Her pastimes included watching America’s Funniest Home Videos, collecting shot glasses that her loving family brought back from their travels, and cooking. She loved wine tasting and spending time with her family and extended family.

Jessie was Blessed to see her great-grandson’s (Jermaine) final high school production, which she truly enjoyed. Over the years as her health challenges grew, she was blessed to have her granddaughter Diamond at her side to assist with daily needs, doctors’ appointments, administering shots and, of course, hanging out at iHop. 

Although Jessie has passed away, her heart and unbreakable spirit live on through her family. Her family and friends will greatly miss her, but her unmeasurable love remains in our hearts.