GEORGE JACKSON
George Jackson, 89, of Gnesen Township, died Nov. 16, 2012 at Minnesota Veterans Home Silver Bay.
George Jackson, 89, of Gnesen Township, died Nov. 16, 2012 at Minnesota Veterans Home Silver Bay.
George was born on Dec. 14, 1922 in Duluth, the only child of Finnish immigrants, Oskar and Hilma Jackson.
George served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He enlisted in December 1940 and was trained as a naval aviation metalsmith. On Dec. 7, 1941, George was stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Oahu Hawaii, which was attacked approximately nine minutes prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. George was an eyewitness to the first waves of Japanese aircraft which attacked Kaneohe Bay and Pearl Harbor. George was later awarded the Pearl Harbor Survivor's Medal. George was stationed in the Pacific during the war repairing U.S. Naval aircraft. On May 31, 1944, George was aboard the SS Henry Bergh, a Liberty Ship, which was en route to San Francisco from the South Pacific. The ship ran aground and broke into pieces on the South Farallon Islands, outside of San Francisco.
After the war, George attended the University of Minnesota receiving a degree in mechanical engineering. George also continued his service in the Navy with the Naval Reserves until 1971 at Naval Air Station Twin Cities, attaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer as a Chief Aviation Electronics Technician.
George was a life long resident of Gnesen Township. He was one of the founding members of the Gnesen Volunteer Fire Department and was township treasurer and assessor for 17 years. George enjoyed working in this garage and experimenting with various projects. George enjoyed flying and had a private pilots license. He spent many hours flying ultralight aircraft later in life.
For the last two years of his life, George was a resident at the MN Veterans Home, Silver Bay. He was very grateful and appreciative of the staff at the veteran home.
George is survived by many friends, neighbors and cousins Hemmo Lampila and Ritva Lampila of Finland.
SERVICES: will not be held at Georges request.
Tags: obituaries
Comments posted on this page do not reflect opinions of Forum Communications Company. Forum Communications Company does not endorse and is not responsible for any statement, opinion, advice given or made. All replies are subject to approval and must follow Forum Communications Company guidelines concerning statements of libel, personal attacks or defamation of character. Replies in the "Talk About It" section that criticize a person by name may not be posted, unless that person is openly involved in a public issue. Comments written in all capital letters or bold print will not be considered for inclusion in the forum.
RSS Feeds