William R. JacksonAGE: 81 • NewarkWilliam (Bill) Jackson, age 81, passed away quietly on Thursday, March 2, 2017 after a long pulmonary illness. Bill was born on April 10th, 1935 at Cooper Hospital in Camden, NJ. Bill lived a full and eventful life. After graduating with his BS in Accounting from Lehigh University in 1956, Bill entered the Army where he was a decorated marksman, achieving the rank of Sargent in the Delaware National Guard, serving his country with distinction for six years. Bill was a member of the DuPont Company's finance organization for 39 years and played a critical role in the DuPont acquisition of Conoco in 1982, one of the largest Corporate mergers ever at the time. After retiring from DuPont, Bill became a key consultant to help modernize the finance systems of the Happy Harry's drug store chain and their in-store pharmacy business. Bill was an accomplished deep sea diver, joining a number of expeditions as a member of the DUSC dive club, investigating ship wrecks off of the NJ coast bringing back memorabilia and often large crustaceans that used the ships as their home. He was also a talented musician playing numerous instruments with his specialty being the acoustic guitar. Bill was a "seasoned" cook; his lobster rolls (some from the lobsters recovered on dives) were famous amongst his family and friends. He loved to travel and did so often with his wife Pat after he had retired from DuPont, then with Jane after Pat's death. He particularly enjoyed visiting the shipyards in the English port towns where historical British vessels could be found. Bill was obsessed with the Civil War. He has a comprehensive library documenting the conflict and visited almost every significant Civil War battlefield across the US.Bill was predeceased by his father, Elmer (Mike) Jackson; his mother, Marjorie Jackson (Rousseau) and one of the two loves of his life, his second wife, Patricia Jackson (Heaney). He is survived by his other love, his first wife and companion over the past four years, Jane Jackson; sister, Barbara (Chester) Wajda; four children, Donna Tomic, Wayne Spence, Michele (Greg) Rubin and Kimberly (Matthew) Matta, along with 10 grandchildren. The family would like to express its sincere gratitude to the many wonderful doctors, nurses and respiratory staff at both the Christiana Care MICU and Select Specialty at Saint Francis Hospital.A visitation will be held on Saturday, March 11 from 9:30 - 10:30 AM, at Doherty Funeral Home, 3200 Limestone Rd, Wilmington DE, where a service will begin at 10:30 AM. A committal service will follow at the All Saints Cemetery Chapel.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Delaware Humane Association, 701 A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.To offer condolences, visit www.dohertyfh.com 302-999-8277.