Theodore Ricardo Jackson was born on Oct. 16, 1923, in Frederiksted Town, St. Croix.
He was the son of Eugenie Daniel and Leo Jackson (both deceased). His sibling was Anselmo Abramson (deceased).
Theodore attended secondary school at Frederiksted School. Many old-timers know him as “Tiny” because of his stellar performance in Tiny Tim in the school play. He later attended the Christiansted High School. Upon graduation, he was a student-teacher at Diamond School. In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in World War II as a clerk where he served in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Louisiana and Hawaii, which reminded him of his beloved St. Croix.
In April 1948, he married Christina Herbert, and together they raised five children: Marjorie, Helen, Janet, Darwin and Milton. For more than 64 years, Theodore remained married and in love with Christina until her death in July 2012. He loved his family, and his children and grandchildren would always remember him as irascible with a passion for feeding them all sorts of island dishes and condiments.
While living in New York, he worked in the Shipping and Receiving Department, as a lab tech, and then performed data entries in the computer (IT) department at Goldwater Memorial Hospital on Ward’s Island until retirement. Theodore loved baseball. In his spare time, he could be found on the baseball field where he was an official umpire for the Softball League in the State of New York where he served as president.
Theodore also enjoyed cooking delectable island dishes, feeding his loved ones and relishing in everything about his beloved home, St. Croix. He also loved taking pictures, carpentry and ham radio morse code, keeping up with news and trending things happening around the world, taking drives to visit his family and shopping at big box stores such as BJs. He knew Manhattan like the back of his hand. He had a sharp mind and an excellent memory.
He will be greatly missed by his surviving children, relatives and his extended family on St. Croix.
Theodore died at the age of 98, and until we see him again, he will be missed.
He is survived by his five children: Marjorie Samuel (St. Croix), Helen Jackson (deceased), Janet George Jackson (N.Y.) Darwin Jackson (Conn.) and Milton Jackson (N.J.); and 13 grandchildren: Boston, Lynia, Lorine, Desmond, Stanley, Jenelle, Dalmar, Stefanie, Jasmin, Rebecca, Stephen, Daniel-Lee and Evan.
He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren: Evante, Lyrissa, Hailey, Miquea, Zoë, Zoey and Logan; great-great-grandson, Amir; special relatives and friends: Elroy Harisson, Reginald Herbert, Inez Clarke, Unita George, Reginald “Bing” Carroll, Richard and Claudette Schrader, the Morgans, Sarah (Auntie) Dratte, and too many friends and relatives to mention.
Memorial arrangements are on Saturday, April 9, at the Horn and Thomas Funeral Home, Pawling, N.Y. The viewing will take place from 2 – 4 p.m. followed by the funeral service at 5 p.m.
For Zoom information, call or text 277-1825.
