Ronald Joseph Jackson

Ronald J Jackson, passed away on August 24th at St Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Ron was a Phoenix resident since 1956. He also lived in The Bay Area while working at Northrop Grumman. Ron was born in Lafayette, Indiana on November 3rd, 1942 to the late Bob and Mary Jackson, Ron enjoyed working with the tractors on his family's farm and flying with his dad. He had one younger brother, Pat and a baby sister, Juanita. The Jackson family moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1956 where Ron attended Roosevelt High. After high school, Ron initially worked as an automotive machinist. He was drafted into the army during Vietnam and sent to France where he repaired aircraft radios. Ron attended ASU and received a Master's in Mechanical Engineering. He worked in multiple fields: Turbine engines at Garrett, submarines at Northrop Grumman, and helped write many of Maricopa County's early vehicle emissions standards. Ron married his first wife, Larena Sullivan in 1974. They had two children, Brian and Anna Marie. He married his second wife, the late Sandy Johnson in 1990. He spent time with her three kids, Jeremy, Jenny, and Tim Johnson and they stayed together until Sandy's passing. Ron's final years were spent at Beatitudes where he and his new love, Carm were making plans to get married. In his teens, Ron raced motorcycles, finishing his racing career with motocross sidecars. He enjoyed working on cars. He was an early user of turbos and water injection technology in the 70s. He was always ready to help his friends with their cars. Later in his life, he and his late wife, Sandy enjoyed trips to Rocky Point with their sand car and touring the US in their motor home. Ron is survived by his sister, Juanita Jackson; children, Anna Marie Snyder and Brian Jackson; and step children Jeremy Johnson-Oberlander, Jennifer Kim, and Tim Johnson. Ron's celebration of life will be held at Beatitudes Senior Living Community 1610 W Glendale Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85021 Saturday, October 25th 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Includes a catered lunch at 1:00 PM