Funeral services will be conducted Sunday afternoon, September 17, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. from the chapel of the Taylor Funeral Home followed by a private burial at Dickson County Memorial Gardens. Pastor Wes Sesler will officiate along with John Patterson and Ben Buckner speaking. Visitation will be on Saturday, September 16th from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday beginning at 11:00 a.m. until time of service.
Those desiring, memorials are suggested to donate to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
John had a zest for life and a heart the size of Texas. If you knew John, you loved him. He was an incredible father, a loving son and brother, an extraordinary fiancé, and friend. John poured his heart into everyone he encountered. He was a faithful servant to the Lord and a member of First Baptist Church of Dickson. John always strived to make a positive impact everywhere he went.
John graduated Dickson County High School in 1986 then went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration at MTSU.
Following that, he then went on to earn his Master’s in Psychology at APSU.
John married Wendy Goodfred in 1992. During their 28-year marriage, they raised two capable, compassionate, driven, God-loving children Lauren and Matthew. John would often say that Matthew and Lauren were his greatest accomplishments and that being their father was the highlight of his life.
John and Cheryl became friends several years ago when they began putting together an outline for a book. In 2022, they realized they had been given a second chance at love. John was the most loving, considerate, and devoted partner. They were to be married in October of this year, but God called his faithful servant to come Home.
John spent his life in service to others. He was a Boy Scout, he served as a reserve deputy, a Sunday school teacher, a board member of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, as well as a board member of The Jackson Foundation. He loved coaching youth sports. John has written and published several books. He was a member of the Team USA shooting team and a PADI diver/master scuba diver. John loved spending time exploring the world, whether it was photographing mushrooms or wildlife on a local hiking trail or scuba diving in the Atlantic after a road trip singing along to his favorite music.
John leaves behind his children, Lauren and Matthew Jackson, his mother, Emily Farrar Jackson, his fiancé, Cheryl Paruszkiewicz, his sister, Caroline Jackson, his brother, Spencer Jackson and his wife Irene, along with his nieces and nephews, and the mother of his children, Wendy Goodfred Jackson.
John was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Bill Jackson and his grandparents Ralph and Freida Ann Spencer Farrar as well as Dr. Jimmy and Mary Ann Aitchison Jackson.
Revelation 21:4 - “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
