Burton Thomas Jackson

Burton Thomas Jackson of Johnstown, Colorado, age 80, died peacefully at home in his sleep with his dog and wife by his side on the morning of October 30th, 2020 after a courageous battle with bladder cancer. Burt liked the saying, "It's not over until it's over" and "It's not over until the fat lady sings." Burt's journey on this Earth is definitely over, but his spirit and memories about him live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

Burt was preceded in death by his father William Edward Jackson, his mother Evelyn Adele Sikorski of Chicago, Illinois, and his son Ronald Jackson.

He is survived by his wife of 22 years Adrija Jackson, his stepchildren Kamilė Jarošiūtė, Paulius Jarošius and Tomas Jarošius, his 5 year old step granddaughter Smiltė Jarošūite, brother-in-law Nerijus Jukonis, sister-in law Ovidija Jukonis, three little step nephews Aidenas, Mantas and Artūras Jukonis, his daughter Julie Malloy, granddaughters Laurel K Malloy and Emily Malloy and last but not least his beloved loyal dog Maxwell Collins Hunter, not to mention many friends and neighbors who knew and loved him.

Burt's final wish was to be cremated and his ashes scattered atop of the Rocky Mountains without any elaborate ceremonies or memorial service. And if Burt's thrifty spirit did not convince you enough not to throw your hard earned money away on a shell that is just a container for the soul, then instead donate to the United Way of Larimer County's Larimer County Fire Recovery Fund.

As the journalist Nicole Spector reminds us all, "In the end, we all become stories." So this is a story of Burt, as told by me, his wife Adrija. Feel free to add your own stories of him in the “Memories” section of this tribute page.

Burt grew up on the South side of Chicago, in a little bungalow surrounded by flowers with a fish pond in the back. He was the only child of depression era parents William "Jack" Jackson and Evelyn, his housekeeping marvel mom who would put Martha Stewart to shame. Burt's father was a traveling salesman of clothing and garments and his mother was the housewife extraordinaire. If you want to know more about Burt's childhood, watch his favorite movie "A Christmas Story". Burt says his childhood was identical to Ralphie's. He even got the official Red Ryder carbine action 200 shot range model air rifle Christmas. Thankfully, Burt did not shoot his eye out. That gun is still among Burt's most prized possessions. Burt liked to hang out with his rugrat alley brigade in his childhood. He was a boy scout and just a plain good, fun friend to all. As years went by friends became fewer but truer. He always mentioned the Brodsky brothers, T. S. Elliot (no relation to the poet) and Lawrence "Standpipe" Reed among his closest friends of his youth.

One of Burt's proudest accomplishments was graduating from Southern Illinois University with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in June of 1968. Although Burt admires the fact that he spent more time discussing the meaning of life with his friends at the Little Brown Jug tavern than studying. He proudly wore his college ring for the most of his life. After the graduation Burt did not follow the steps of his favorite Carl Jung and did not become a psychoanalyst. Burt used to say, "Humans are too complicated and hard to figure out. Machines are easier to deal with." Instead, he followed the footsteps of his good friend who worked at the telephone company and started his career as an engineer for the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, also known as Mama Bell, because the company took good care of its employees. Burt worked for Mama Bell as an engineer and district manager until his retirement. By then Mama Bell was gone, replaced by impersonal AT&T, who cared more about the machines than its people.

However, Burt's biggest dream was to fly. He likes to joke quoting the saying, "If God intended for a man to fly he would have given him more money." Burt wanted to get his wings by studying to be a pilot. But his parents just shrugged their shoulders and told him, "How are you going to get there?" Burt's dream was deferred, but not dead. He used to say, “if the dream does not come true, modify it and try again.” Later in life, Burt took private flying lessons and got his pilot's license at the age of 43. Burt had over 1000 hours of flight-time in his beloved airplane, a Cessna 172N Skyhawk II, affectionately known as Mother Goose. The last entry in his pilot log reads: "12/2/95, Claw, Lake Lawn, IL, trip with Laurel and Emily - the granddaughters that he adored. Then there were the sports cars, sailboats, and motorcycles, but the airplane was something unforgettable and special. He wanted to have a sticker put on his economy car that read, "My other car is an airplane."

After his retirement Burt picked up many creative hobbies - woodworking, clock and furniture making, crafts, painting and photography. Burt was interested in digital electronics and world band radio. He designed many gizmos and thingamajigs as he called them. He loved to travel and discover new places and things to do. His two favorite places were Mexican Riviera and Jamaica. He always wanted to travel to Europe, especially Ireland, Scotland, Germany and Lithuania, the ancestral places of his parents and his second wife (me), but never got a chance. Burt was an avid reader. First thing on the agenda after moving to a new home town was getting a library card. His curious mind always wanted to know more. They say that a prolific reader is a frustrated writer. Burt could write beautifully. His letter and emails were like most interesting short stories. He used to joke that he would have been a writer if he could spell. But, on the other hand, he liked to quote Mark Twain by saying, "I have no respect for a man who can spell a word only one way." Burt's English teacher used to call him "the young man with most creative spelling". One of Burt's favorite writers was Dean Koontz. Burt had the quote from Koontz's book "Life Expectancy" in his leather bound journal. It summarizes perfectly how Burt lived and what kind of person he was:

"The more you expect from life, the more your expectations will be fulfilled. By laughing, you do not use up your laughter, but increase your store of it. The more you love, the more you will be loved. The more you give, the more you will receive. Life proves that truth every hour, every day. And life continues to surprise. "

(Dean Koontz, "Life Expectancy")

May your Soul take flight, dear Burt. You are always my True North. Rest in peace knowing that you are loved and remembered by many.