"Al, Sue, Emily and Sarah - my sympathy to you all in the loss of your Dad and Grandpa. He is someone I would love to have known and to thank him for instilling love and the adventuresome spirit so you, Al and Sue, could continue some of that with your Young Life ministry. God be with you all, my love and prayers for peace. Linda Gerke and family"
In loving memory of
Arnold Stevens Jackson
November 23, 1923 - April 19, 2017
Madison- Arnold "Pepper" Jackson, Jr., age 93, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at Coventry Village Memory Care in Madison with his daughter, Leslie, at his side. He was born November 23, 1923 to the late Dr. Arnold S. and Lora C. (Ziesel) Jackson.
Pepper was a graduate of Madison West High School and the University of Wisconsin, where he was a proud student of the late Professor Aldo Leopold. From an early age, Pepper had a passionate desire for the natural world, and spent much time studying ornithology and helping Professor Leopold establish native flora in the Arboretum in Madison. Later in life, you would find him at the Madison Audubon Goose Pond Sanctuary, or at another Wisconsin prairie project, helping harvest seeds, or planting native prairie plants, or guiding a controlled-burn effort.
At the start of World War II, Pepper was selected and trained with the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale. This elite army team perfected ski defense maneuvers in the rugged Colorado Rockies. A love for science also directed Pepper's early career, becoming a science teacher and later principal at Todd Seminary for Boys in Woodstock, Illinois. Besides teaching, he was given the opportunity to take the boys sailing off the Florida coast and hiking in the Canadian Rockies.
Always an adventurer, he met the late Kathryn Ogden Brumm, who in many ways equaled his passion for the great outdoors. They were married on December 17, 1949 at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, Wisconsin. Together they would canoe to Hudson Bay in northern Canada, sail the North Channel of Lake Huron, ski in the Rockies and Alps, and explore the wilderness of Mexico. Soon they would have four children in tow, who would also learn the spirit of adventure.
Pepper and Kathryn spent a significant part of their life establishing a family farm just outside Dane, Wisconsin, where Pepper applied many lessons of ecology, especially the early development of minimal-tillage farming practices in the late 1950's. On the farm, there were also hogs to be raised, and acres of strawberries and asparagus to be cultivated. Providing sanctuary for birds and other wildlife, the farm was a living laboratory for the Jackson kids to learn important lessons of hard work and the wonder of natural sciences. On May 10, 2003, the family farm was preserved for the greater good as the Jackson Waterfowl Production Area was dedicated by the Madison Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Pepper is survived by his children, Arnold "Steve" (Lori) Jackson III, Andrew (Barbie) Jackson, Leslie (Mike) Martin and Alfred (Susan) Jackson, and 8 grandchildren, Patrick, Noah, Leif, Brian, Karli, Emily, Dusty and Sarah, and 3 great grandchildren, Declynn, Bella and Aurora. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by 4 sisters, Virginia, Joanne, Eleanor and Marjorie.
A memorial service will be held at 1:00pm on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, Wisconsin. A visitation will be held from 12:00pm to the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to the Madison Audubon Society.
The family would like to thank the wonderful caregivers of Sebring, and the staff of Agrace, for their loving care of Pepper.
Tributes
"Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your dear, loved one. Death is hard to deal with. Even Jesus gave way to tears when Lazarus died (John 11:35). But our Heavenly Father views death as an enemy and promises to put an end to it (1 Cor 15:26). We can look forward to being reunited with our loved ones again. For additional information please visit http://bit.ly/1K38EFt."
"I taught high school biology and conservation for 29 years and the works of Aldo Leopold was a major part of my teaching in both classes. When I saw the obituary for "Pepper" Jackson I knew immediately who he was. My recognition of him is from an account written about Aldo, daughter Estella and Pepper on the Sauk County Shack roof of the Leopolds. Aldo was repairing the chimney with Estella and Pepper looking on and perhaps helping. A brick fell on Aldo's foot and he exclaimed, "Goddammit!" Estella reprimanded her father with, "Daddy, you shouldn't say that, you should say, 'Whoopsie'", to which Aldo responded, "Whoopsie, goddammit!". Gary Laib Leopold Educator-Retired Peace Pepper"
"Al and Sue & family So sorry to hear about the passing of your dad and grandfather. May he Rest In Peace. Fred and Lois"
"To all of the family of Pepper Jackson: Bill and I have amazing memories of sailing in the North Channel of Lake Huron. It just shows how the adventuresome spirit of Pepper and Kay and Al inspired others to be adventuresome as well. Sincerely, Lisa and Bill Johnson "