Sandra Jackson

Sandra Carol Jackson, 79, of Eau Claire passed away Saturday, January 16, 2021 at Grace Edgewood Memory Care, Altoona, WI.

Sandy was born September 26, 1941 in Princeton, IL to Ethel “Cleo” (Dyer) and Carroll “Swede” Carlson. Swede worked on the Hennepin Canal for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so Sandy’s childhood and youth was spent living along various locations of the canal from Mineral to Annawan and then finally Geneseo. In 1959 she graduated from Geneseo High School and went on to graduate from the School of X-ray Technology at Kewanee Public Hospital in 1961.

Sandy then began her career as an X-ray Technician at Lake Forest Hospital, Lake Forest Illinois. During a shift, a young man by the name of Conrad “Conny” Jackson came in to have her X-ray his broken arm. Conny was smitten with the young X-ray Tech and asked her on a date. Sandy went on to marry Conny on May 4, 1963 in Geneseo, IL.

The young couple began their life together in the Lake Forest area. In 1967 their lives were interrupted when Conny was drafted into the army. As they traveled west to Washington for Conny’s basic training, Sandy discovered she was pregnant. When Conny was shipped out overseas, Sandy returned to the Geneseo house along the canal and gave birth to a son, Christopher.

After Conny was discharged from the army, he pursued a career with “Ma” Bell and the family lived in several locations in Illinois and Wisconsin until permanently landing in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Sandy would give birth to a daughter, Ann, and over the years worked as a medical transcriptionist for Luther Hospital, Group Health and Marshfield Clinic until her retirement.

Sandy was a devoted mother and had a soft spot for animals - especially dogs. She loved reading mysteries, watching football and westerns with Conny and having a good laugh with her kids. She was an excellent housekeeper and seamstress and made beautiful costumes and doll clothes for her daughter and granddaughter. When she developed Alzheimer’s, she was able to stay near Conny at Grace Edgewood until he passed in 2018. They had been married for 55 years.

She is survived by her son, Chris (Nikki) Jackson of Eau Claire; her daughter, Ann Jackson (Bryan Biever) of Fort Myers, FL; a granddaughter, Molly Jackson of Eau Claire; and a sister, Stephanie Swanson of East Moline, IL.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; her brother-in-law, Lee Swanson; and her fur-babies - Jaime, Paddy, Brody, and Hailey a.k.a. Mrs. Bailors.

Sandy’s family would like to thank her caregivers led by Nancy Kuiper at Grace Edgewood who not only compassionately cared for Sandy these last three years but BECAME her family during these last 10 months of lockdown. We would also like to thank the St Joseph’s Hospice Care team - the caregivers led by Kris and the support and spiritual care we, the family, have received from Anna and Pastor Mark. We are grateful Sandy is finally at peace.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the Stokes, Prock & Mundt Funeral Chapel, 535 S. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona, WI with visitation one hour prior.

Memorials can be sent to the Grace Lutheran Foundation, https://www.graceluthfound.com/get-involved/giving/, St Joseph’s Hospice, https://giving.hshs.org/sjcf/Donate, or the ECC Humane Association, https://www.eccha.org/donate/donate.phtml.