William Morris Jackson

William “Bill” Jackson, of Essex, CT, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2025, at the age of 88.

Born in New York City to Alice and George Jackson, Bill is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Susan “Todd” Jackson, his daughters, Laura and Alicia Jackson, son-in-law John Martin, and grandchildren, Joe Martin (Jessica), Katherine Brophy (Brad White), and Jake Martin.

Bill was brought up with his sister, Barbara, in the Five Towns area of Long Island and went on to attend Pomfret School and Amherst College. After college, he worked on an archeological dig in England before enrolling in Columbia University’s Russian Department and The Russian Institute for a joint degree on Russia and the Soviet Union. Two years later he emerged with two degrees. Concurrently, he met and married Todd. After adding two children to the two degrees, Bill found a job with a small “cold war” magazine specializing in education and youth/student politics around the world, which led to moving the family to Brussels for nearly four years. Bill and Todd took advantage of living in Europe with lots of travel, leading to a life-long love of foreign adventure, including trips to China, Japan and Nepal

Moving back to New York, Bill returned to Columbia, earning an MBA. Interested in not-for-profit finance, he began a second career in arts administration, beginning with a job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by stints that included The New York State Council on the Arts, The Guggenheim Museum and the Pierpont Morgan Library.

A lifelong student, Bill loved many things and pursued a variety of interests. One of the Thousand Islands, on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River kept him connected with family, sailing and his perpetual search for the perfect “to-mah-to.” He studied a number of instruments at various points, including classical guitar, flute and piano, not to perform but because he loved music and learning. His interest in photography grew along with his love of travel. He was an avid tennis player, playing regularly until the end of his life. Bill continued his interests when he came to live at Essex Meadows in 2017 and participated in a number of activities, including hiking, gardening and the Scholarship Committee. He discovered a latent talent for writing, and enjoyed contributing essays to Meadow Words. He will be remembered as a caring family member and friend, with a ready smile, a gentle sense of humor and a kind word.