Fourteen-year-old Ethan Jackson, a student from Lindale, Texas, and a junior high football player at Lindale High School, tragically lost his life after going missing at Hideaway Lake on 23 May.
Wearing jersey #86, he played defensive end (DE) and running back (RB) on his football team.
Standing 6 feet tall, Ethan had already built impressive stats for his age, with a 200-pound bench press and a 285-pound squat.
He had been swimming with friends when he became separated from the group and did not resurface.
Emergency crews, including dive teams, searched the Lake for several hours. Sadly, his body was later recovered.
Family And Friends Mourn The Loss Of Ethan Jackson
Ethan Jackson’s mother, Candace Butler, shared a short but deeply emotional tribute to her son on Facebook.
In her message, she wrote, “Fly high my baby. We got you and you got us for forever.”
Similarly, Monique Hawkins shared a deeply emotional message about Ethan Jackson, one of the students she considered her own.
Known for having a special group of students who held a place in her heart, Ethan was one of them.
He affectionately called her “Mama” and took pride in being seen as her son.
They shared fun moments in class, often having playful battles over old songs, with Ethan teasing her by saying, “Mama, what you know about this?” whenever a song came on.
Ethan struggled, especially with feeling like he didn’t fit in with others, but he always found comfort and calm by sitting next to Monique.
Their bond grew stronger when he realized she had gone to Tyler College with his mother, Candace M. Butler.
Monique is heartbroken and still in shock over his loss. She thanked Candace for allowing her to be part of Ethan’s life, celebrating his school victories and being there for his journey.
Everyone knows that I have a handful of students that are considered my own kids. They hold special places in my heart. (This has already been an emotional week for me but that for a later post.) This is one of babies…Ethan called me Mama and took pride with being my son. We use to have old song battles in class. He would say “Mama what you know this” (referring to song) He struggled with fitting in with his classmates and others but he found comfort in calming down next me. He said one day you went to TC with my mom Candace M Butler. From that point on our connection grew even stronger. I’m still in shock. But thank you Candace for sharing your son with me for this short time. Thank you for always including me in his victories in school. Ethan I’m not ok but I’ll always remember you and will check on your mom.
Monique Hawkins
Further, Tammy Rich shared that just hours after celebrating his 8th-grade graduation, Ethan went missing while at Hideaway Lake with his family.
What was meant to be a joyful day quickly turned into tragedy. His body was found about 30 to 45 minutes before Tammy shared the update, leaving the Jackson family and community mourning.
She also shared that her daughter, Melissa, had called her with the news, and she immediately asked for prayers.
Ethan, the same age as her grandson, Lucas, lived outside Tyler, Texas.
Tammy called on her community of prayer warriors to pray for Ethan’s family during this incredibly painful time.
Rest in peace, Ethan Jackson!
