Obituary of Kurt Michael Jackson

Kurt Michael Jackson, husband of Meri Ann (Ehler) Jackson, father of Amanda Nicole Jackson and Sarah Marie Jackson; the son of Roy Weeks Jackson Jr. and Beverly Jo (Brown) Jackson, was born July 19, 1956, in Oklahoma City, OK.  He graduated from Marshalltown Senior High School with the class of 1974.  He went on to spend some time at Iowa State University before joining the US Navy on October 12, 1976.  He proudly served on the USS Dace nuclear submarine as a radioman.  After his time in the service, Kurt attended the University of Northern Iowa for a short period and then transferred to Marshalltown Community College in 1983 where he would meet Meri Ann Ehler.  They were married November 10, 1990, at the United Methodist Church in Kellogg.  Kurt had worked for M. Gervich & Sons in Marshalltown, he worked with his dad Roy W. Jackson as an electrician, he worked for Love’s Travel Plaza, and as the Director of Jasper County Department of Veteran Affairs from 2017 – 2021, which he often stated was his passion and calling and the best job he ever had.  Kurt was an avid Dungeons & Dragons player and loved playing computer games.  He enjoyed building computers, home and building renovations, and playing cards with friends and family.  He was a member of the American Legion, Kellogg Post #355.

Kurt died Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa after a long battle with AML Leukemia.  He was 66 years old.  Kurt was preceded in death by his parents Roy Weeks Jackson, Jr. and Beverly Jo (Brown) Jackson; his niece, Ashley Nicole Kisselburgh, and his paternal grandparents, Roy Weeks Jackson, Sr. and Mollie Cora Jackson, his maternal grandparents, Floyd Orville Brown and Velma Deverhle Brown.

Those left to honor Kurt’s memory include his wife, Meri Ann Jackson; his daughters, Amanda Nicole Jackson and Sarah Marie Jackson; his brother, Roy Weeks Jackson III; his sister, Julianne Kisselburgh; his nephews, Cody Jackson Kisselburgh and Christopher Daniel Kisselburgh his wife Kat Michelle Kisselburgh and a great niece, Tatum Elise Keen.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, March 31, 2023, at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home in Newton.  The family will greet friends Thursday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  Memorials may be designated to the Newton American Legion (Honor Flight) and may be left at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home.