Clifford Curtis Jackson

We lost one of the good ones. Curt Jackson passed away on March 1, 2025, at Park Centre in Newton at age 88.

Curt was born in Newton on April 18, 1936, the son of Clifford Curtis and Laura Trueper Jackson. He was named after his father but since everyone knew the elder Jackson as Cliff, the son became Curt – the name that stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Two older brothers rounded out the family. Robert (Bob) was the oldest and the family adventurer. The middle son Harold, known to most as “Tiny,” was seven years older than Curt.

His early childhood was spent in Newton where his father worked as a machinist and foreman at Maytag. When Curt was about eight, the family moved to Reasnor where Cliff operated a gas station on a small acreage. A few years later, Curt’s father retired from Maytag and bought a farm outside Reasnor. Curt was 17 when his father died of heart failure in 1953.

After graduation from Monroe High School, Curt went to work for Deere & Co. in Waterloo. The US Army soon came calling so Curt enlisted in 1958. He was assigned to the Signal Corps where he trained as an aerial photographer hanging out of small planes to film potential targets. However, Curt was eager to get back to the family farm. He tried farming for several years but later went to work at Maytag on the dryer assembly line where he stayed until his retirement.

Curt never married – he was a lifelong bachelor. For a few years after leaving the farm, Curt lived in the Maytag Hotel. In 1988, he purchased home at 309 E. 17th St. N where he lived for 45 years. Though a bachelor, Curt was devoted to his family. He helped care for his mother until her death in 1993 and traveled across the country to spend time with his brother Bob and many of his cousins. Unquestionably, his best friend was his older brother Tiny. The two men built houses and other projects together. Both were avid fishermen and spent countless hours at Rock Creek or Lake Red Rock. Curt was a part of Tiny and his wife Kathleen’s family; the brothers (occasionally joined by Bob) would argue politics and swap yarns for hours on end. Their infectious laughter often brought the brothers to tears as they tried to finish some otherwise forgettable story. After Tiny’s death in 2005, Curt spent time drinking coffee with a changing group of “old guys” at some coffee klatch or another. Often, he could be seen walking or riding his bicycle around the east end of town.

Curt also was frugal to an extreme. His wardrobe, put charitably, was sparse. His house on 17th Street was well-kept but sparingly furnished with well-worn furniture and appliances. Yet there was another side to Curt; he never owned a computer and used his flip phone only to make phone calls. But for years, he spent hours at the Newton Public Library reading the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers. He devoured news and financial programming on his TV. Unbeknownst to most people, Curt was one of the best-informed citizens in Jasper County.

Quietly, out of the spotlight, Curt also discussed ways in which he could help his state and community. His frugality coupled with his keen insights allowed him to accumulate a significant fund that he set up to support several local and statewide causes.

After the deaths of his brothers, Curt became even closer to his nieces and nephews. In 2023, he moved into Park Centre where his dry sense of humor endeared him to staff and fellow residents even as his health declined. He will be missed.

Curt is survived by three nieces; Judy (Robert) Kinney of Knoxville, Jane (Bill) Meyer of Boulder, Colorado, and Nancy (Harry) Klucher of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and one nephew, John (Janet) Jackson of Owasso, Oklahoma.

A memorial service for Curt will be held at the Pence-Reese Funeral Home in Newton at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. Visitation will be held at 1:00 p.m., prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to the Newton Public Library Foundation.