Joan Marie Jackson

Joan Jackson

A one-of-a-kind advertising maven who cared deeply for her family, loved Minnesota winters, and did things her own way with a little help from St. Anthony, an unwavering enthusiasm for the Vikings and as a long-time fan of Tiger Woods.

Born in 1931 in Redwood Falls, Minn., Joan Jackson was the third daughter of William Frances Jackson and Mary Feely Jackson and a fourth generation descendent of Irish-born Minnesota Territorial pioneers. Joan passed away in her sleep, in her own bed, in her own home, just as she wanted, on April 18, 2024.

Joan was an original employee of Fallon McElligott Rice, a scrappy advertising agency founded in 1981 that became the award-winning Fallon Worldwide. Joan set the bar high at Fallon. To honor her retirement in 1994, her colleagues wrote, “During Pat Fallon’s speeches, Joan would stand defiantly, drumming her fingers. She’d heard it all before. Yet she never missed a word. Or a comma. If it was corny, she groaned. If it was inspiring, she groaned. She was the first to ask the questions the rest of us would never dare to. She was a media rep’s dream or worst nightmare. A living legend.”

Joan was dedicated to her family first and willingly took on the responsibility of caring for multiple generations of her loved ones. She was a consummately loyal advocate for their care, asking smart, tough questions just as she did during her professional career. Joan loved traveling with her dear sister Helen Ann, spending time in Ireland and other parts of the world. Even at age 92, she always knew what was happening in all of her family members’ lives, including her great-grand nieces and nephews, and routinely prayed to St. Anthony to make things easier for them. She also adored her neighbors who helped make it possible for her to live independently at home.

Preceded in death by her parents, sisters Rosellen Johnson and Helen Ann Steele, brother-in-laws Harold Johnson and Ervin Steele, niece-in-law Laura Ingersoll Johnson and many life-long friends. Joan is survived by four nephews whom she treated like sons, four niece-in-laws whom she loved dearly, two grand nephews, four grand nieces, and their spouses and children, and extended family members, all of whom loved her feistiness, eye-rolling and non-stop worrying.

Mass of Christian Burial, 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 23, at Lumen Christi Catholic Church (2055 Bohland Avenue, St. Paul). Visitation 1 hour prior to start. Interment, Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. Memorials can be given in Joan’s memory to St. Jude Research https://www.stjude.org or Highland Nurse Block Program, https://ourladyofpeacemn.org. 

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