Obituary of Craig D. Jackson

Craig Jackson, 67, passed away at home with his loving family on November 6, 2021. Craig was the beloved son of the late Robert and Carolyn Jackson, husband to Debbie, father to Christopher & Bryan, and grandfather to Benjamin. Born January 14, 1954 in Philadelphia, PA, Craig was the middle of six children; Valerie, Larry, Lynn, Carol, and Bruce. His childhood was spent moving from Pennsylvania to Kansas, to Missouri, and then settling down in Annapolis, Maryland. Craig graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology with a degree in civil engineering in 1979, and earned his Master’s degree from Cornell University in 1982. Craig spent his civil engineering career in the public service. First as an engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation in Hornell designing road improvements, then at the Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany remediating hazardous waste sites. He was dedicated to leaving the world a better place for his children, and was proud of his part in remediating hazardous waste sites in Buffalo, and throughout New York. He ended his career at the New York Department of Health as an engineer for public water supply protection, retiring after 35 years to spend more time with his family. Debbie and Craig met as college sweethearts and were married in 1979. For 42 years, they raised a beautiful family and enjoyed the outdoors together - camping, hiking, kayaking, and fishing (Debbie, not so much the fishing). They instilled a love of the outdoors in their children with family vacations spent in the backwoods of the Adirondacks. After retirement, Craig and Debbie crisscrossed the United States and Canada with a popup trailer and a pair of kayaks to find the perfect camping and hiking. Craig also loved ice hockey. He was a volunteer coach for his children’s teams for many years, and played on a regular basis with many local mens’ teams. Until his illness prevented it, he was a regular player with the Over the Hill gang, looking forward to both the games and the comradery. The most important thing to Craig was his family. Craig is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie, their two wonderful children, Christopher & Bryan, and his first grandchild, Benjamin. Craig was very proud of his boys, both grew into intelligent, loving, caring adults thanks to his guidance. A year ago he welcomed his first grandchild, Benjamin, into the world. He loved his sisters Valerie Emrich, Lynn Heese, Carol Goettling, and his brothers Larry and Bruce, who passed away last year. Craig leaves behind an extended family of nieces, nephews and cousins whom he dearly loved and who will miss him greatly. Those who had the opportunity to know him before he was taken too soon will miss his wit, knowledge, wisdom and friendship, which were always freely shared with everyone he knew. To his family, his absence will always be felt. There will be a celebration of his life in the spring. We will provide information on the event early in 2022. Those wishing to remember Craig in a special way may send contributions to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation at www.curethekids.org in his memory. To leave the family a message on their guest book, please visit Jones Funeral Home at www.jonesfh.net