Charles E. Jackson
Charles E. Jackson, 88, a resident of Crystal River since 1965, died of natural causes on June 20, 2019 peacefully in his home.
He was the son of Earl Kenneth Jackson of Odessa, Florida, and Lucille Driskell Jackson of Merrill, Mississippi, and brother to Martha Jean Gowdy of St. Petersburg, Florida. He was born on December 28, 1930 at home in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and was the first recorded birth in Clearwater Beach.
He was raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he attended Rosa Park and West Central elementary schools, Mirror Lake Junior High School, and St. Petersburg High School, graduating in 1949.
In 1951 he joined the U.S. Army, spending 17 months in Korea, and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant, before receiving his honorable discharge in 1954.
He met Jill Elmer in 1955 at the University of Florida. They were married on July 28, 1956.
In February 1958 he received a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Florida.
His engineering career included 4 years with Du Pont as a Design Engineer at the Savannah River Laboratory near Aiken, South Carolina, and 2 years with Honeywell as a Design Engineer in St. Petersburg, Florida. He then moved to Crystal River, Florida, to work with Florida Power Corp. as the Mechanical Construction Supervisor during the construction of Crystal River power plant's unit 1, and then unit 2. In March 1971 he was promoted to Construction Superintendent for the Crystal River unit 3 nuclear plant. In 1981 he resigned from Florida Power and moved to Saudi Arabia, where he worked for the Arabian American Oil Company for 10 years, managing large construction projects. In 1991 he retired, moving back to Crystal River.
He was active as a leader in the Boy Scouts in his younger years, in both Aiken, South Carolina and Crystal River, Florida. He was active with Crystal River Civitan Club for many years, holding all the offices. He helped build houses with Habitat for Humanity and was a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels, and Dr. Ride in his later years.
He enjoyed boating, fishing, scuba diving, water skiing, flying, and traveling. He was a private pilot and enjoyed cross country flying and site seeing from the air. He and Jill traveled extensively world-wide, visiting over 65 countries, and enjoyed RV travel in the U.S. and Canada.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jacqueline E. Jackson, son Mark Charles Jackson and daughter-in-law Jana Jackson of Houston, Texas, and son Scott Edward Jackson and daughter-in-law Patricia Jackson of Beverly Hills, Florida, and grandchildren Jamie Jackson Baker and husband Robert Baker, Brett Jackson, Sarah Jackson Golliher and husband Robert Golliher, Joshua Jackson, Lucas Jackson, and Mark Mason (step), and great-grandchildren Katherine Golliher, Abigail Golliher, and Kaden Mason (step).
A Memorial Service will be held on July 27, 2019 at 3 O'clock p.m. at Crystal River United Methodist Church, 4801 N. Citrus Ave. Crystal River, FL 34428. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to Crystal River United Methodist Church.