Mary Jackson

Visitation for Mary Ann Jackson of Algonquin will be held Sunday, November 27, 2022 3:00 - 8:00p.m. at the Countryside Funeral Home 333 S. Roselle Rd. (1/2 mile south of Irving Park Rd.) Roiselle. Funeral Monday 10:00a.m. Interment Memory Gardens.

Mary is the beloved wife of the late Chris; loving mother of Jeffrey (Colleen), Jonathan (Jennifer) and Jason (Christine); cherished grandmother of Courtney (Hunter) Blake, Austin Kroos, Bailey Kroos, Thomas, Hayley, Julia and Olivia Jackson; dear sister of Jean (the late James) Shiflett, William "Bill" (the late Dianne) Berquist; aunt of many loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Mary was born in Viroqua, Wisconsin and although her family moved to Chicago when she was still a baby, she was always proud of her small-town roots. Anyone who knew Mary knows that her life really began when she married Chris on October 16, 1965. Mary always said that she married Chris because she knew that life with him would be full of adventure. The two of them built a family together, worked together running their own Brown’s Chicken for thirty years and lived most of their lives in Schaumburg, Illinois.

After settling the family there in 1973, they took their three boys on many adventures, often traveling hundreds of miles out of their way on a whim to see “The Mouse.” She was far outnumbered by the men in the family, but on any adventure, all of the boys would set aside at least one day for going along with Mary to look at local arts and crafts – what Chris used to call a day of “Rugs and Beads.”

In 1999, they rebuilt a run-down old house together on the lake in Lodi, Wisconsin with the help of their grown children and a few friendly and knowledgeable locals. So many happy holidays and weekends year-round were spent there fishing, boating, swimming, spending time with nearby friends and hosting the impromptu fish fry to consume the bounty of fish that were caught. Although Mary was known for sometimes unintentionally taking a long walk off the short pier, memories of adventures shared at “The Cottage” will always be cherished.
There were quieter adventures for Mary, too. She enjoyed gardening and flowers, and took special pride in the roses that she grew at the house on Williams Court in Schaumburg. She participated in many social activities with friends such as knitting, bridge and Mah-Jongg. Above all, she enjoyed anything that included time with her family. Family was at the very center of Mary’s life, and it defined who she was. Gatherings of any kind were really what she lived for – birthdays, graduations, weddings and holidays were all her favorite days of the year. Though her family tried to convince her many times that Chinet would do just fine for the winter holidays, she always insisted on bringing out her Christmas dishes because they were the last Christmas present Chris gave her before he passed away.

While we’re on the subject of Chris, he unexpectedly came to take “Bwabs” home with him peacefully as she slept, which is the way to go if you’ve got to go. It was a surprise to their family, but then again, Mary always knew that life with Chris would be an adventure and it certainly was. Many times, even the best adventures take a twist. Surely the same is true of what comes next. They are on their next great adventure together. We’ll hear all about it when we are together again.

Thank you for the adventure, Mom. We will miss you every single day.
Info (630) 529-5751.