of Little Rock, AR

March 30, 1930 - December 26, 2020

William Londis Jackson, 90, of Little Rock Arkansas, departed this earth December 26, 2020 at his Little Rock home. ''Bill'', as he was affectionately known, was born the third of six children in the town of Grange, Arkansas on March 30, 1930. Growing up, he worked with his family as sharecroppers near Swifton, Arkansas in the height of the Great Depression. To escape the poverty of his situation and eliminate a mouth to feed Bill decided it best at age 15 to enlist with the U.S. Army and aid his country in the waning years of World War ll. His mother signed his enlistment papers and he was inducted at the age of sixteen. Bill would not be shaving for two more years.

After basic training Bill was shipped to Japan where he would serve as part of the US occupation forces stationed in Beppu, Japan. Bill also served in the Hiroshima area in the aftermath of the first atomic bomb, a time he would never recount. As a result, Bill was a member of the National Association of Atomic Veterans.

Upon his discharge from the service, he decided to relocate to Chicago at the urging of Army friends. With the advantage afforded him by the G.I. Bill he was able to attend trade school in the vocation of heating and air. Bill often spoke fondly of his time there; where he attended class and worked part time as a short order cook in a diner downtown. One of Bills favorite regular customers was the professional wrestler Gorgeous George, who stated he liked the way Bill prepared the dozen eggs he would consume. This may explain why Bill was never witnessed preparing any meals in modern times.

Prior to this time toward the end of the war, his family had abandoned farming and migrated south to Jacksonville, Arkansas in search of employment opportunities in the military munitions' factories. Following a brief first marriage in Chicago Bill returned to visit family and decided to relocate to more suitable climates as job prospects seemed ripe. At age 23 he responded to a newspaper ad seeking a blueprint shop supervisor at a relatively new company in the downtown Little Rock area. Farrell and Schaer Blueprint had been formed in 1946 by three former Army Corps of Engineers employees Pete and Lyman Farrell and Dwight ''Buddy'' Schaer. Being an Army veteran certainly was a plus as Bill had no previous experience. But he learned quickly thanks to his ability to read and understand schematic drawings from his technical school days. Bill served in this capacity for fifty years. At his retirement gathering it was revealed Bill had only missed one day due to illness and had been late twice in that time period.

About a year into his new supervisor position Bill met a young sixteen-year-old girl at the church where their mothers attended, named Imogene. He would describe the dark-complexioned girl as having eyes black as watermelon seeds. They would wed soon after and had remained so married for 65 years.

Bill enjoyed watching sports and instilled this love in his children who participated in various team activities. He enjoyed listening to Arkansas Razorback football games on the radio Saturdays and during the summer he would often spend several days a week in the company box seats above the Travelers Baseball dugout at Ray Winder. Bill enjoyed coaching his daughter Linda's softball teams for many years, leading his 1974 MFA team to a state championship out of Mabelvale Little Oaks Park. This was followed by further successes with the Drummond Funeral Home Softball Team, who's unofficial slogan was ''We bury the opposition''.

Upon his retirement from Farrell and Schaer, being one to not sit around, Bill and his wife accepted a position as weekend staff for Mary Lou Davenport at the North Little Rock Visitors Center. He served in that position for thirteen years until the position was eliminated. At that time, Bill was the oldest employee in the North Little Rock system.

2020 was certainly a tough year. With it his wife lost two sisters and two brother in-laws, the family dog and now our beloved patriarch. Bill could be a kind and thoughtful man who could as well be stern as needed and would give you enough rope to hang yourself as he would say. He was fond of his children, animals, buffalo nickels, hats and rain, not necessarily in that order. Bill will no doubt leave a part of himself in the enormous number of people he touched during his journey. He will never be forgotten until we are all dust.

Bill is proceeded in death by his mother, Opal Pinkston and father, Orville Jackson of Liberty, Missouri.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Imogene Carr Jackson; his sister, Mary Lou Franks of Odessa, Texas. Three children, Jim and Josie Riley of Kathleen, Georgia; Stanley Jackson of Little Rock, Arkansas and Linda Jackson of Bryant, Arkansas.
Five grandchildren, Justin McGuire of Denver, Colorado; Austin Martin of Little Rock, Arkansas; Dylan Jackson of North Little Rock, Arkansas; Amber Youngblood of Los Angeles, California and Sarah Riley of Kathleen, Georgia.
Three great grandchildren, Max Youngblood of Los Angeles, California; Arlo Youngblood of Los Angeles, California and Isabella Martin of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Visitation will be held from 4-8 pm, Tuesday, January 5, 2021 with graveside services following 11 am, Wednesday, January 6th at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.

In lieu of flowers please donate in Bill's name to his favorite charity, Boys Town, PO Box 8000, Boys Town, NE 68010.

We are complying with the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines and limiting indoor visitation attendance to 50 people at one time. All attendees must provide and wear their own masks before entering.

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