Pope was born in the Mingo township in Sampson County, North Carolina, USA, on 9 March 1908, to parents Buckner Edwin Jackson (1882–1960) and Mittie Ellen Baggett (1885–1956). Her father was a large landowner and a former member of the Sampson County Board of Education.

In the 1920s, she attended Pineland School for girls and later earned her education degree from what was then East Carolina Teachers College in Greenville. After initially teaching in Sampson County, she accepted a position with the Harnett County Schools system, where she instructed students in fourth through seventh grades. Additionally, she assumed the role of principal at Long Branch School, which was located just a mile away from her home.

At some point, she married Claude Efton Pope, with whom she had four children: Claude Edwin Pope, Patrick Harris Pope, William Pope, and Rebekah Kase. She was a member of Divine St. United Methodist Church since 1942. Over the decades, she dedicated herself to teaching Sunday school, served on the Board of Trustees, and contributed to nearly every other committee within the church.

Pope passed away in Dunn, North Carolina, USA, on 14 April 2018, at the age of 110 years, 36 days. She was survived by a son and a daughter, 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.