Shirley Kay Jackson
Paw Paw
Shirley was born June 18, 1931 in Paw Paw, Michigan. She passed away on January 13, 2015 surrounded by her loving family after a long illness. She was the daughter of Nyle and Mina Adamson and sister of Robert Adamson of Fullerton, CA. She was a proud member of the Paw Paw High School Class of 1949, attended WMU, and married Robert P. Jackson of Decatur in June of 1951. She has two children, Judy (Tim) Janssen of Lawrence and Jim (Kathy) Jackson of Paw Paw; two grandchildren, Nathan Jackson and Molly Rose Jackson of Paw Paw. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister-in-law Cathy Adamson.
Shirley was a devoted wife and mother. Over her lifetime she was well respected and cared about by all who knew her. Public service was very important to her. She served as Deputy Paw Paw Township Clerk alongside her husband for 12 years. In 1974 she was appointed by Governor Milliken to the Van Buren County Jury Board. Shirley was then appointed the first woman Van Buren County Commissioner in 1976 and served as that Board's chair from 1980-1982. In 1982, she ran a successful campaign for Van Buren County Clerk and became the first woman in Van Buren County history to have that position. She retired in 2004 but continued her civic mindedness as a member of the Van Buren County Board of Canvassers. She was always a staunch Republican, sitting on the county's Republican Executive Board and Republican Women's Club. She attended many state Republican conventions and always helped with Republican campaigns. Shirley received many awards including Republican Woman of the Year in 1991 and she was honored by the Van Buren Republican Party for 60 Years of Service in 2011. One of her biggest life achievements was nominating and casting the Michigan electoral vote for George H. Bush in 1988 and attending his inauguration in Washington, D.C. in 1989.
Shirley derived great satisfaction from community leadership. She was a founding member of the Paw Paw Housing Commission in 1967, developing the first senior housing in the Village of Paw Paw. She served as President of the Paw Paw Business and Professional Women in 1985 (a post her mother also held in 1936). She was honored as the Van Buren County Court House Restoration Co-Citizen of the Year in 2005 and in 2006 she became a member of the Paw Paw High School Hall of Fame.
Shirley always had a love of travel. The family traveled across the United States and went on several Caribbean cruises including a special 50th Anniversary cruise in 2001. After retirement she and Bob went on multiple trips to Alaska and a trip through the Panama Cannel.
The family wants to thank all the staff at The Timbers of Cass County and Hospice of Southwest Michigan for taking such loving care of their wife and mother. Instead of flowers please make a donation to Van Buren County Historical Society, P.O. Box 452, Hartford, MI 49057. Cremation has taken place and no funeral will be held. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements were made by Adams Funeral Home of Paw Paw. Share a memory or sign the guest book at: www.adamspawpaw.com