WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Greg Jackson was born and grew up in Moline, Illinois. His mother and father were both from farm families and were familiar with the farm lifestyle - getting up early and working hard all day - but neither of them went into farming. His father, Homer, was a baker, he owned and operated the Melo Creme Donut Shop for many years, famous for its cinnamon fries and long johns. His mother was an elementary school teacher until she retired.
KNOWN FOR
"Did you know that I worked in a doughnut as a kid?" Greg was very fond of telling his grandchildren about his experiences working in the Melo Creme Donut Shop in his childhood. Even after he got married and moved away, Greg and his family were still occasionally featured in Melo Creme advertising, including calendars. Pictures (and lots of devotional material and other commentary can be found at his blog "Ichabod, the Glory Has Departed" at https://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com.
WHAT THEY DID
Greg's work is defined by two major categories - his work as a Lutheran pastor and later a teaching career of his own. He earned a master's degree at Yale and a PhD at Notre Dame. He wrote many books about Lutheran history and also devotional material, including a biography of his now sainted wife Christina. In the latter part of his working life, he taught online classes for a number of institutions, including the University of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University. His reviews were stellar and his classes were packed.
A TREASURED MEMORY
When his son Martin's family was fairly young, he organized a trip to Disneyland in California for the whole family, including Greg and Chris. Together with Martin, his wife, and two children (at the time) they rode the rides, ate the food, and enjoyed the park and each other. One of the best parts was a character breakfast where Josie (the older sister, about four at the time) helped feed Danielle (the younger sister, who was two then). Pictures from this event still hang on the younger Jacksons' wall in Bentonville, Arkansas.
AND ONE MORE THING
Greg was married to Christina for fifty-two years. The classic marriage views say it, and they did it - they were together for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. They met at Augustana (college) in Rock Island and were inseparable from the age of 18.
With thanks to [Martin Jackson] for sharing these memories.
