Richard Lee Jackson - dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and friend - passed away at his

home in Gambrills, Md, on Friday, 20 October 2023, after a courageous battle with heart disease.

He was 83 years old.

Rich was born and raised in a small, mid-eastern Ohio town called Wellsville. His dad, Monroe

Jackson, was murdered when Rich was just six years old. If there was a hero after this tragic

event, it was Rich's beloved mother, Jennie, who despite not having finished high school and

having to single-handedly raise Rich and his three siblings while working several jobs to make

ends meet, managed to instill in Rich a love of family and a conviction that hard work will always

pay off – a belief he carried with him throughout his life. They didn't have much money, but they

had each other and a wealth of extended family and friends who encouraged Rich to have faith in

himself and to pursue his dreams with dedication, grit, and determination.

So, when Rich was in the 11 th grade, he went out for his high school football team despite only

weighing 135 pounds and soon became known as Rich "Crazy-Legs" Jackson because of the way

his legs moved when successfully running the ball through the opponent's line of defense. His

exploits and achievements on the gridiron, basketball court and track during high school earned

him the "most athletic" award for his high school senior class.

Rich met his first wife, Yvonne Hart, when they were both 18 years old. They married on 3 June

1962 surrounded by friends and family. In 1964, Rich and Yvonne had their first child, Brian. 4

years later, they welcomed their second child, Scott, into the world. He worked hard to make sure

they were taken care of and felt loved every day.

That work started in 1962, when Rich's ambitions led him to leave Wellsville, Ohio for a four-year

enlistment in the United States Air Force where, after completing boot camp at Lackland Air Force

base, he was selected to serve in Air Force intelligence. Soon after he was honorably discharged in

1967, Rich's stint in the Air Force earned him an appointment to work as a GS-7 teletype operator

at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Maryland, thus beginning a stellar and illustrious

33-year career at NSA where he retired as a GS-15 Division Manager. On the way, he continued

his education at night, earning a bachelor's degree through the GI bill from the University of

Baltimore while working at NSA full-time and helping to raise his two boys. Later, Rich would

obtain a Master of Science degree from Salve Regina University. Rich poured his heart and soul

into his work and was a well-respected and cherished colleague as well as loyal friend to many

people he worked and served with.

Rich enjoyed many hobbies when not working but most of those hobbies involved serving others.

For many years he coached youth basketball and officiated girls basketball games. He was also a

volunteer tax preparer for senior citizens and regularly worked with seniors to assist them with

their finances. Rich learned to play bridge at community college class with his second wife

Claudette and thoroughly enjoyed playing bridge with Claudette and friends he met at class.

Rich's biggest passion, however, was bowling, which he picked up in 1968 and continued

throughout his life. He loved the competition but most of all he loved the comradery that he

experienced when bowling in leagues with his friends. Even after his heart disease made it

impossible to come back to bowling, you could still find him at a bowling center watching his

friends bowl and just enjoying the game he loved so much.

Everything Rich Jackson did in his life, he did with honesty, integrity, and conviction. He was loved

by all who knew him. Rich is survived by his current wife of five years, Claudette; his children,

Brian (Angela) Jackson, and Scott (Ria) Jackson; six grandchildren, Nate, Chrissy, McKenzie, Caleb,

Kyndall, and Kaley; sister-in-law Marion Duhart; and by numerous relatives and friends. He was

preceded in death by his first wife, Yvonne; his brother, Howard Jackson, and his sisters, Jean

Farrow and Mary Jackson.

Family and friends will gather for a Visitation on Thursday, 9 November 2023, from 6:00-8:00 PM

at Hardesty Funeral Home, 851 Annapolis RD. Gambrills, MD. Funeral Services will be held on

Friday, 10 November 2023, at 11:00 AM, at Nichols-Bethel United Methodist Church, 1239 Murray

Rd, Odenton, MD. Viewing will be held for one hour prior to funeral services and a Repast will be

held after the services. Burial will be in Spring Hill Cemetery in Wellsville, Ohio.