William L. Jackson

William L. Jackson, 89, died on Sept. 6, 2017, of complications of Lewy body dementia at Summerhill Assisted Living in Peterborough.

He was born Oct. 15, 1927, in Lawrence, Mich., the son of the late C. Paul and Orpha (Cook) Jackson. He attended public school in Kalamazoo, Mich. In July 1946, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served from November 1946 through November 1947, in Tokyo, in a headquarters support battalion. After returning to the United States he continued his education, earning a BBA and an MBA in 1951 from the University of Michigan. In 1949, he married Janet Ingling. They lived in Michigan, Connecticut and Florida before retiring to New Hampshire in 1992.


During his business career of nearly 40 years he held management positions in General Food Corp., Chesebrough-Pond Inc., Wilkinson Match N.A., as president of Duracell Battery Co., and as chairman of Tupperware International. He traveled on business to Japan, Western Europe, England, Africa, India, Indonesia, Australia, Brazil and Mexico. After retirement, he and Janet joined U. of M. Alumni Association trips to Alaska, China, New Zealand, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Central and South America and, on their own, explored parts of Canada and the United States.

He was a member of the Monadnock Rod and Gun Club and was past president of the Thorndike Pond Conservation Association. He headed the drive to raise funds for the purchase and renovations of The Community Kitchen in Keene building on Mechanic Street. He began as a volunteer driver delivering food boxes to shut-ins, continuing this work while serving three terms as board chairman.

He is survived, in addition to his wife, by his sons, Edward L. Jackson and his wife, Carol Forget, of New York City and Charles P. Jackson and his wife, Mary C. Jackson, of Southbury, Conn.; his daughter-in-law, Valerie Jackson of Danbury, Conn.; three grandsons, Mark, Daniel and Matthew Jackson; his sister, Mae L. Jackson; his sister-in-law, Virginia Ingling; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son, Bruce Alan Jackson; and his grandson, Brian Paul Jackson.