Canton teacher killed by wrong-way driver on highway

The family of a Canton teacher killed in a wrong-way driving crash on a freeway wants her to be remembered as a role model in the community and in the lives of her family and friends. Tyra Small-Jackson died in a head-on collision on Interstate 55 near the Gluckstadt exit on Saturday. According to Gluckstadt police, Jordan Sullivan was driving the wrong way on the freeway and crashed into Jackson’s vehicle, causing her to die. Three other people were also injured. Sullivan faces drunken driving charges in connection with the crash. Small-Jackson was a teacher and served in the Canton Public School District for 23 years. She was recently named Nichols Middle School’s Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year. “Her beautiful spirit will live on forever in the memory and hearts and minds of the countless lives she touched,” the school district said in a statement. “We are grateful for Mrs. Small-Jackson’s years of outstanding service to the Canton School District. She dedicated her life to making her students feel loved and prepared for the next level. She will truly be missed.” Small-Jackson was married and had three children and one grandchild. She also leaves behind three sisters and her mother and father, all of whom are devastated. “Being the oldest, I always tried to protect her from everything, and this is just one thing I couldn’t protect her from,” sister Sharetta Donalson said. Donalson said she will miss her youngest sister’s smile and laughter the most. “Just being a part of us — we were a tight clique,” Donalson said. Family members said Tyra loved to sing. She sang in the movie “The Jury” while she was a student in Canton. “We could be at a restaurant and someone could be celebrating a birthday and singing the usual ‘Happy Birthday’ and she would say, ‘Let’s sing the Stevie Wonder version,'” Donalson said. Her family says they hope to create scholarship opportunities in the Canton Public School District in her memory. “We have a lot of faith, so we’re going to make it happen,” Donalson said.