Andrew Jackson III

Andrew “Andy” Joseph Jackson III, 80 years old, of Elk Lake, Michigan and Islamorada, Florida passed away peacefully on October 16, 2022.

Andy was born on September 29, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan and was predeceased by his father Andrew Jackson, Jr., and his mother Elizabeth (Emig) Jackson. He will be forever loved and remembered by his wife of 57 years, Patricia (Kogut) Jackson; sister Elizabeth Morehouse; brother Robert Jackson; daughters Audra Jackson (Traverse City, MI), Heather Kelley (Medfield, MA) and Tara Jackson (Durango, CO); 7 grandchildren: Noah Jackson, Jackson Kelley, Amaya Holliday, Tristan Kelley, Téa Santoro, Luca Santoro and Violet Kelley; son-in-law Joseph Kelley; brother-in-law Jimmy Kogut, as well as nieces and nephews, and many lifelong friends.

Andy was a family man, and even as he lost all of his memories, he would always talk about ‘keeping the family together.’ He loved hosting family and friends, with his wife, Pat, at their homes in Florida and Michigan, especially his blue cottage on Wolf Lake. Andy also loved traveling the world with Pat, and they were fortunate to have visited many places such as Africa, China, Egypt, Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Galapagos Islands.

Andy personified the phrase ‘work hard, play hard!’ He liked to keep busy and found immense pleasure in working on his houses, out in the yard, doing projects in his highly organized workshops, and especially taking care of his boats. He also made plenty of time for pursuing the activities he loved most including boating, fishing, hunting and scuba diving. Andy also loved the quiet moments at the end of the day sitting in his wood swing watching the sunset over the water and watching the campfire burn peacefully for hours. He believed his greatest legacy was being able to share his favorite activities with his grandkids and took extraordinary pride in teaching them and watching them enjoy the things he loved as much as he did.

Andy had an incredible work ethic and was a devoted employee at Ford Motor Company for 34 years, starting immediately after he graduated from Wayne State University where he played football and ran track, and was voted “Mr. Homecoming” in 1963.

Andy was passionate about his beloved Detroit (and later Miami) sports teams, U of M football, and Vanderbilt baseball. He spent many hours watching the games on TV while eating his famous popcorn, shouting at the TV every time anything exciting happened - good or bad.

Andy made a significant impact on so many lives as a boss, mentor, and role-model, and was known to be a good listener and teacher. He will be deeply missed and remembered as an extremely kind-hearted, polite man who was always up for some fun, once the jobs were done.

Andy’s memory will live on in the hearts of his family and friends. A memorial mass will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, November 12th at St Alphonsus Church in Dearborn, Michigan. Lunch will follow at Mama Mia’s Pizzeria in Livonia, Michigan. An additional celebration will take place in the summer of 2023. Details to follow. Donations can be made in memory of Andy to Accelerate the Cure Alz (https://www.acceleratethecurealz.com), an organization that provides support to families and caregivers in Northern Michigan, Trout Unlimited (https://www.tu.org) to help preserve his beloved natural waterways, or any non-profit which supports preservation of coral reefs and conservation of the ocean where Andy found peace and joy.