Mary Louise Jackson

Mary Louise Jackson (née Isaacs), 83, of Albany, NY, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2026, surrounded by her family, and with Dolly gently singing “In the Sweet By and By”.

Born December 27, 1942, in Washington, D.C., Mary Lou grew up around the United States, and graduated from McLean High School in Virginia. She went on to earn her nursing degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 1963, beginning a career as an Operating Room nurse and later manager that would span nearly fifty years.

In 1965, she married Fredrick Jackson at Emmanuel Church in Baltimore, starting a 60-year partnership that spanned a continent. Together, they raised their family in Connecticut and California before retiring in Albany.

She will be deeply missed by her husband, Fred; her children, Matthew (Shari), Benjamin, and Rachel (Barry); her grandchildren, Stellan, Maeve, Samuel, Jackson, and Ellen, whom she loved to distraction; her brother, Carl; and a bevy of nieces and nephews that she adored. She rejoins her parents, Mildred and Carl, her sister, Helen, and her dearest friends Doty and Karen.

Outside of her career and family, Mary Lou found joy in sewing, playing cards, a good mug of wine, finding out the interesting things her kids got away with in their youth, and her many years volunteering at the thrift shop of St. Andrew’s Church in Albany.

Mary Lou’s family wishes to thank, in particular, Dr. Kim Poli, the staff at Peregrine Crossgate, and the staff at Our Lady Of Mercy Life Center for the care and comfort they provided Mary Lou over these past several months.

To honor Mary Lou’s service to others, and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation the The Shop at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.