Ann (Nancy) Jackson, 90, died peacefully on March 12, 2024 at her home in Barrington, RI, where she was lovingly cared for by her family.

Nancy was born in Niagara Falls, NY, to Joseph and Anna (Fell) Thompson, but she spent most of her childhood in Glen Ferris, West Virginia, an unincorporated town of 400 people on the banks of the Kanawha River.

Her father was an engineer with Union Carbide, and helped build an alloy plant on the banks of the river.

When she was three years old her mother died. Three years later, her father married Ernestine (Woodville), who raised Nancy and her older brother Joe as her own.

Nancy was blessed to grow up with two families who loved her deeply, Anna’s Niagara Falls siblings and Ernestine’s Woodville relatives, who lived in rural Fayette County, West Virginia.

Nancy attended a four-room schoolhouse in Glen Ferris—skipping an elementary school grade—and formed close bonds with her small community. To this day, her favorite songs are John Denver’s “Country Roads” and Jonathan Edwards “Shanty”.

When she was of high school age, she took the train to Washington, DC and attended Holy Cross Academy, a Catholic boarding school. After graduating from high school, she attended Trinity College in Washington, DC, graduating with an Economics degree in 1954.

After graduation, Nancy remained in the city, where she was employed by Auchincloss, Parker, and Redpath, a brokerage firm. She was also employed by Harris Upham, a brokerage firm in Charleston, West Virginia.

At a Trinity College “tea dance”, she met the love of her life, James Jackson, a Rhode Island native who was attending Georgetown University Law School.

On August 25, 1956, she and Jim were married at the Catholic Church in Boomer, West Virginia.

This began the next chapter of Nancy’s life.

They began their married life in Memphis, Tennessee where Jim served in the Judge Advocate General Department of the Navy at the Naval Air Station. They lived there until Jim was transferred to Newport, RI to teach Military Law at the Naval Justice School. They settled in Barrington and have lived there until this day.

Anyone who has the privilege of knowing Nancy realizes how important family is to her.

She and Jim have five children, Ernestine (Richard) Greenslade, Katherine (Thomas) Miller, James (Karen) Jackson, Ann (James) Foster, and Benjamin (Amity) Jackson; 15 grandchildren, Anna and Ben Greenslade, Thomas (Maura), Stephen (Ali), and Andrew (Alexandra) Miller, Julia, Owen, Avery, and Lachlan Jackson, Jackson (Allison), Luke, and Abigail Foster, and William, Lila, and Henry Jackson; and four great grandchildren, Harper, Jackson, James, and Nolan Miller.

Her family meant the world to her and she to them. Memories over the years include trips to Disney, the Cape, and Sanibel with children and grandchildren and gatherings at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, her favorite holiday.

Much of family life centered around the second home in Sunapee, NH, which she and Jim owned for 50 years until selling this fall.

In New Hampshire, Nancy enjoyed skiing at King Ridge and Mt. Sunapee and golfing at the Sunapee Country Club, where she met many dear friends.

A highlight for most of the 15 grandchildren was “Camp Sunapee” which Nancy organized each year. Once you turned eight, you were eligible to be a camper and some grandchildren attended well into their teens, not wanting to miss the fun.

Nancy is a woman of deep Catholic faith (If she is praying for you, you are in good hands) and strong opinions on politics and other topics. In addition to her family, she valued her friends, a wonderful group of fun-loving, intelligent women, and was deeply appreciative of her blessings. Whenever a family member or friend hit a rough spot, Nancy would offer the words “Never estimate the power of prayer.”

The family appreciates Joyce and Dora, who cared for Nancy with love and tenderness.

Calling Hours will be held on Sunday March 17, 2024 in the W. RAYMOND WATSON FUNERAL HOME, 350 Willett Avenue, Riverside from 3-5 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday March 18, 2024 in St. Luke Church, Washington Road, Barrington at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Forest Chapel Cemetery, Nayatt Road, Barrington.

Donations in Nancy’s name can be made to the Carmelite Sisters of Barrington, 2541 Arlington Rd, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118. Please be sure to indicate that this is a donation for the Barrington sisters in Nancy’s memory.