Obituaty:
Claude George Jackson Jr. died Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, at his home in Pasadena.
Funeral: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand View Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, 281-479-6076. Interment: Grand View Memorial Park. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation, 2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 252, Houston, Texas 77057-4989, www.nkfset.org, or the American Lung Association.
Mr. Jackson was born April 9, 1924, to Claude G. and Fannie Belle Echols Jackson of Fort Worth. He retired from a distinguished civil engineering career with Brown & Root, Rohm and Haas and other area industries.
Mr. Jackson maintained close ties with the 483rd Bombardment Group he served with in World War II. In 1944, he was just 20 when he served as a waist gunner on the Lone Wolf Mission, the first night bombing mission ever attempted by U.S. air forces in World War II. His B-17 ran out of fuel in the night skies when he parachuted into the icy terrain of the Yugoslavian Alps. He evaded warring bands of Serbian and Croatian rebels for several weeks making his way back to the 15th Air Force headquarters in Bari, Italy. This was the first of four times he was forced to parachute from injured B-17s during his military service.
His toughest bailout involved a six-mile freefall from his aircraft, which landed him with one red sock, one bare foot and a bullet-ridden parachute on the courthouse steps in downtown Vienna. This adventure led him to spend his 21st birthday in a prisoner of war camp in Moosburg, Germany. Mr. Jackson's life and adventures are chronicled in his book, "Bailout! Reflections of an Airman in World War II," a copy of which is on file with the Smithsonian Institution.
Mr. Jackson was a member of Ralston Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and a church elder. He had a lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Artie Faye Rains Jackson; and his first wife, Virginia.
Survivors: A legacy of cherished family and friends, including his children, Claudia S. Jackson DeFries (Bill), Joan Bradfield, Mark Platt Jackson, John Fett (Cheryl), James Jackson (Kim), Janis Lorene Jackson and Julie Glass (Kevin); grandchildren, Jeffrey Bradfield (Becky), Jeremy Bradfield, John Matthew Fett, Joshua Fett (Tamrynn), Matt P. Jackson, Jamie Jackson, Amanda G. Jackson, Grace Glass, TJ Dickey, Erik Jackson Stem DeFries, Dakota Dickey and Kyle Glass; great-grandchildren, Madison Bradfield, Baylee Bradfield and Jackson Bradfield; sister, Ellen Jane Walton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in the Star-Telegram on 2/15/2008.
Claude George Jackson Jr. died Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, at his home in Pasadena.
Funeral: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand View Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, 281-479-6076. Interment: Grand View Memorial Park. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation, 2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 252, Houston, Texas 77057-4989, www.nkfset.org, or the American Lung Association.
Mr. Jackson was born April 9, 1924, to Claude G. and Fannie Belle Echols Jackson of Fort Worth. He retired from a distinguished civil engineering career with Brown & Root, Rohm and Haas and other area industries.
Mr. Jackson maintained close ties with the 483rd Bombardment Group he served with in World War II. In 1944, he was just 20 when he served as a waist gunner on the Lone Wolf Mission, the first night bombing mission ever attempted by U.S. air forces in World War II. His B-17 ran out of fuel in the night skies when he parachuted into the icy terrain of the Yugoslavian Alps. He evaded warring bands of Serbian and Croatian rebels for several weeks making his way back to the 15th Air Force headquarters in Bari, Italy. This was the first of four times he was forced to parachute from injured B-17s during his military service.
His toughest bailout involved a six-mile freefall from his aircraft, which landed him with one red sock, one bare foot and a bullet-ridden parachute on the courthouse steps in downtown Vienna. This adventure led him to spend his 21st birthday in a prisoner of war camp in Moosburg, Germany. Mr. Jackson's life and adventures are chronicled in his book, "Bailout! Reflections of an Airman in World War II," a copy of which is on file with the Smithsonian Institution.
Mr. Jackson was a member of Ralston Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and a church elder. He had a lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Artie Faye Rains Jackson; and his first wife, Virginia.
Survivors: A legacy of cherished family and friends, including his children, Claudia S. Jackson DeFries (Bill), Joan Bradfield, Mark Platt Jackson, John Fett (Cheryl), James Jackson (Kim), Janis Lorene Jackson and Julie Glass (Kevin); grandchildren, Jeffrey Bradfield (Becky), Jeremy Bradfield, John Matthew Fett, Joshua Fett (Tamrynn), Matt P. Jackson, Jamie Jackson, Amanda G. Jackson, Grace Glass, TJ Dickey, Erik Jackson Stem DeFries, Dakota Dickey and Kyle Glass; great-grandchildren, Madison Bradfield, Baylee Bradfield and Jackson Bradfield; sister, Ellen Jane Walton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in the Star-Telegram on 2/15/2008.
Obituaty:
Claude George Jackson Jr. died Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, at his home in Pasadena.
Funeral: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand View Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, 281-479-6076. Interment: Grand View Memorial Park. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation, 2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 252, Houston, Texas 77057-4989, www.nkfset.org, or the American Lung Association.
Mr. Jackson was born April 9, 1924, to Claude G. and Fannie Belle Echols Jackson of Fort Worth. He retired from a distinguished civil engineering career with Brown & Root, Rohm and Haas and other area industries.
Mr. Jackson maintained close ties with the 483rd Bombardment Group he served with in World War II. In 1944, he was just 20 when he served as a waist gunner on the Lone Wolf Mission, the first night bombing mission ever attempted by U.S. air forces in World War II. His B-17 ran out of fuel in the night skies when he parachuted into the icy terrain of the Yugoslavian Alps. He evaded warring bands of Serbian and Croatian rebels for several weeks making his way back to the 15th Air Force headquarters in Bari, Italy. This was the first of four times he was forced to parachute from injured B-17s during his military service.
His toughest bailout involved a six-mile freefall from his aircraft, which landed him with one red sock, one bare foot and a bullet-ridden parachute on the courthouse steps in downtown Vienna. This adventure led him to spend his 21st birthday in a prisoner of war camp in Moosburg, Germany. Mr. Jackson's life and adventures are chronicled in his book, "Bailout! Reflections of an Airman in World War II," a copy of which is on file with the Smithsonian Institution.
Mr. Jackson was a member of Ralston Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and a church elder. He had a lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Artie Faye Rains Jackson; and his first wife, Virginia.
Survivors: A legacy of cherished family and friends, including his children, Claudia S. Jackson DeFries (Bill), Joan Bradfield, Mark Platt Jackson, John Fett (Cheryl), James Jackson (Kim), Janis Lorene Jackson and Julie Glass (Kevin); grandchildren, Jeffrey Bradfield (Becky), Jeremy Bradfield, John Matthew Fett, Joshua Fett (Tamrynn), Matt P. Jackson, Jamie Jackson, Amanda G. Jackson, Grace Glass, TJ Dickey, Erik Jackson Stem DeFries, Dakota Dickey and Kyle Glass; great-grandchildren, Madison Bradfield, Baylee Bradfield and Jackson Bradfield; sister, Ellen Jane Walton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in the Star-Telegram on 2/15/2008.
Claude George Jackson Jr. died Monday, Feb. 11, 2008, at his home in Pasadena.
Funeral: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand View Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, 281-479-6076. Interment: Grand View Memorial Park. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation, 2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 252, Houston, Texas 77057-4989, www.nkfset.org, or the American Lung Association.
Mr. Jackson was born April 9, 1924, to Claude G. and Fannie Belle Echols Jackson of Fort Worth. He retired from a distinguished civil engineering career with Brown & Root, Rohm and Haas and other area industries.
Mr. Jackson maintained close ties with the 483rd Bombardment Group he served with in World War II. In 1944, he was just 20 when he served as a waist gunner on the Lone Wolf Mission, the first night bombing mission ever attempted by U.S. air forces in World War II. His B-17 ran out of fuel in the night skies when he parachuted into the icy terrain of the Yugoslavian Alps. He evaded warring bands of Serbian and Croatian rebels for several weeks making his way back to the 15th Air Force headquarters in Bari, Italy. This was the first of four times he was forced to parachute from injured B-17s during his military service.
His toughest bailout involved a six-mile freefall from his aircraft, which landed him with one red sock, one bare foot and a bullet-ridden parachute on the courthouse steps in downtown Vienna. This adventure led him to spend his 21st birthday in a prisoner of war camp in Moosburg, Germany. Mr. Jackson's life and adventures are chronicled in his book, "Bailout! Reflections of an Airman in World War II," a copy of which is on file with the Smithsonian Institution.
Mr. Jackson was a member of Ralston Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and a church elder. He had a lifelong commitment to the Boy Scouts of America.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Artie Faye Rains Jackson; and his first wife, Virginia.
Survivors: A legacy of cherished family and friends, including his children, Claudia S. Jackson DeFries (Bill), Joan Bradfield, Mark Platt Jackson, John Fett (Cheryl), James Jackson (Kim), Janis Lorene Jackson and Julie Glass (Kevin); grandchildren, Jeffrey Bradfield (Becky), Jeremy Bradfield, John Matthew Fett, Joshua Fett (Tamrynn), Matt P. Jackson, Jamie Jackson, Amanda G. Jackson, Grace Glass, TJ Dickey, Erik Jackson Stem DeFries, Dakota Dickey and Kyle Glass; great-grandchildren, Madison Bradfield, Baylee Bradfield and Jackson Bradfield; sister, Ellen Jane Walton; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Published in the Star-Telegram on 2/15/2008.
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