A former first lady of the City of Atlanta

By Maria Saporta

An outpouring of friends, family and civic leaders came to honor the life of Bunnie Jackson-Ransom on Monday.

It is not surprising giving the many lives she touched in Atlanta and beyond, moving here in 1964 to be close to her then boyfriend – Maynard Jackson Jr. – marrying him in 1965.

She became Atlanta’s first lady after Jackson was elected the city’s first African American mayor. They had three children – Elizabeth “Beth” Jackson Hodges, Brooke Jackson Edmund and Maynard “Buzzy” Jackson III. The couple divorced in 1976. She married Ray Ransom in 1978, but they later divorced.

During her life, Jackson-Ransom was quite an entrepreneur. She founded First Class Inc., a public relations company, in 1975 with three of her friends – Anne Allison, Linda Gulley and Billye Aaron. All attended the celebration of life at Ebenezer.

Jackson-Ransom died on Feb. 2. A service was held in her honor on Monday at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Monday that included an invocation from U.S. Senator – Rev. Raphael Warnock.

The service was followed by her internment at South-View Cemetery and then a repast back at Ebenezer.

Here are a few photos from friends and family at the repast.

A portrait of a young Bunnie was on display during the repast on Feb. 13 at Ebenezer (Photo by Maria Saporta)

Brooke Jackson Edmund stands next to her mother’s portrait on Monday at the repast (Photo by Maria Saporta)

Maynard Jackson III gets a hug from former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at the celebration of life of his mother – Bunnie Jackson-Ransom (Photo by Maria Saporta)

Maynard Jackson III with his oldest sister – Beth Hodges, and a friend – Michael Ross (Photo by Maria Saporta)

Longtime Atlanta leader Bill Allison with his daughter, Tracey Allison and her mother – Anne Allison, one of the founders of First Class (Photo by Maria Saporta)

Rod Edmund, Brooke Jackson Edmund’s husband, stands…