John Rich Jackson, 89, went to be with his Lord and Savior on May 31, 2023, at The Villages at Oak Ridge in Washington, Indiana. He was met in heaven by Patty, his wife of 68 years, his oldest son Jeff, his parents, and many other family members and dear friends. John was born August 14, 1933, to Perry and Ora (Rich) Jackson in Vincennes, Indiana. He married Patricia Ann Pepmeier, the love of his life, on February 14, 1954.
John was a 1951 graduate of Frichton High School. He was a lifelong farmer in Palmyra Township and the Wabash River bottoms in Vincennes Township. John became a member of St. John’s United Church of Christ in 1957 and joined its Paul Sunday school class. John will be remembered fondly as a devoted family man, a man of faith, a loyal friend, a steward of the soil, and a U.S. Army veteran proud of his service with the 811th Combat Engineers in Korea and Japan during the Korean War.
As a farmer, John was recognized for his love of the land and as a conservation pioneer. In 2002, he was named Knox County Master Farm Conservationist of the Year and later was awarded the Indiana State Master Farm Conservationist Award. He incorporated a wide variety of practices to prevent water runoff from eroding the topsoil of sloping fields. Mentoring by example across the decades, he helped to instill in the many young men who worked on the Jackson Farm the value of hard work and the importance of treating others with respect, honesty, and kindness.
John will be lovingly missed by his daughter Susan (Mark) Schutz of Vincennes, son Robert (Vicki) Jackson of Tallahassee, Florida, daughter-in-law Deena Jackson of Vincennes, grandchildren Patrick (Sara) Schutz, Josh (Kylie) Jackson, Jayme (Cody) Lane, all of Vincennes, great-grandchildren Ora Lane, Chance Lane, Ann Marie Schutz, Leighton Jackson, Colt Lane, Amelia Schutz, Mailin Jackson, Colvin Jackson, Breezlin Jackson, and sisters Joy Mobarry and Jean Wells (Bill) Lathrop. Many other family members and friends will mourn his death.
Visitation for John will be held Wednesday, June 7, 2023 from 10:00am to 11:00am with the funeral service starting promptly at 11:00am at Goodwin-Sievers Funeral Home 524 Broadway Street, Vincennes, Indiana 47591. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery 919 Willow Street, Vincennes, Indiana 47591. The service will be livestreamed at www.goodwinsievers.com. Online memories may be shared with John’s family as well under John’s obituary page. Goodwin- Sievers Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the care of John.
John’s family would like to extend a special thank you to the wonderful and loving staff of The Villages at Oak Ridge Assisted Living and his friend Paul Steiner for their care and compassion through the unprecedented challenges of the past few years and to Heart to Heart Hospice for providing comfort in his final hours.
