Jackson Silva loved making people laugh, whether with him when he made a joke or even at him when he was tearing it up on the dance floor with his wacky moves. At family gatherings, he always knew how to start the party.
“He was the one hyping the party dancing with everybody even though he didn’t know how to dance,” said his fiancee, Janie Rodruquez. “But he tried. It was really funny,”
Janie had known the family for quite some time, since her best friend, Javier David Silva, was Jackson’s older brother.
“I was meeting up with his brother and some friends and Javier, his brother, introduced me to him,” Janie said. ”We got along very well, we exchanged numbers and we went from there.”
A week later they had their first date at a steak restaurant in Philadelphia and stayed together for 3 years, even conceiving Janie’s first child and Jackson’s second son, Jackson Silva Jr.
Unfortunately he wouldn’t get to see his kids grow up. On June 4, 2021 Jackson was shot on Reese Street near York in North Philadelphia and died at the Temple hospital. He was 23. Sadly, Javier also died eight months later.
Jackson was born on November 1, 1997, in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. After moving with his family to America, he was raised in Camden. By 20 years old Jackson had begun working at a landscaping company to provide for his family. After his day was done, his favorite thing to do was to come home, play the PS4 and hang out with his son. “Jackson was a family man. He loved being around them,” Janie said.
Janie said having his second child was the happiest moment of his life, even if he was a little scared at first. “He was like a little kid,” she said. “He didn’t know what to do.”
He did know to always prioritize the safety of his loved ones, which made him a great father. “He wouldn’t do no crazy stuff in front of me, he would be a funny goofy guy but he had a limit when he was with me and his son,” she said.
Jackson was very proud of his children, speaking highly of them to whoever he was talking to at the moment. “I remember he always used to say his boys are really smart and that he was so proud of having his boys. He used to say those are Papi’s baby boys.”
What made Jackson so smart was embracing the environment and community around him, especially with the elders, making his mentality and perspectives stronger. “He mentally wasn’t a 23 year old, he wasn’t afraid to say when something wasn’t right.”
That is what made him different. That and his genuine heart because he wouldn’t hesitate to help others in need.
“One time this homeless man was walking by and he seen him a few times always asking for money,” Janie recalled. “And one day Jackson bought him breakfast and gave him his pair of shoes and clothes. He called me to bring him shoes and clothes because he gave them away to the homeless man.”
Besides his family, Jackson also loved motorcycles, and he spent a lot of time riding around town on his scooter.
Even though he was generally a happy guy, he had a recurring fear about his own death and would talk about it often. “His fear was for him to pass away and for his kids not to have their family around and that something has happened,” Janie said.
Still, when it happened, she was shocked, of course. “I was desperate when I found out. The doctors were waiting for me to get to the hospital to tell me and the family that he passed away.”
But his children, and memories, are what keep him alive.
“I want the people to know who was Jackson Silva,” Janie said.
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