Obituary of Richard Carl Jackson

Richard (Rick) Carl Jackson passed away suddenly in the early hours of April 5th at his home in Duluth.  

Rick was born the youngest of four on January 20, 1959, to Earl and June (Larson) Jackson, residing on Oakley Street in Duluth until he moved to Minneapolis at the age of 42. 

Upon graduation from Duluth East, he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He managed the Food-N-Fuel in Lakeside through college and for many years after. He also tended bar at Ridgeview Lanes for many years. Rick worked as an accountant for Curtis Oil for over a decade before working for Plan Administrators, honing his considerable accounting and troubleshooting skills.  

Co-workers appreciated his keen intelligence, infinite patience, dedication to meeting people’s needs, and extraordinary kindness, willing to help others at the drop of a hat. 

Rick was an avid sports fan, especially baseball. He loved the Twins and rarely missed a televised game. In his younger years, he caddied at Northland Country Club so he could play a round or two early in the morning. He played softball in city-wide tournaments and coached Little League, making the game real for his players, giving them lessons and memories to last a lifetime. 

Rick was an elite left-handed bowler, playing in city-wide leagues for years, earning rings, awards and his coveted 300 ball. He developed many close, lasting friendships through league play and trips competing around the country. 

Rick was a quiet, somewhat shy, sweet, and loving man in the shell of a giant. Although he had a large presence, he was a gentle, calming influence to anyone who took the time to get to know him.  

He loved his friends with a hard-to-match intensity, and would do anything for them, including moving a piano. Rick had a large group of friends with nicknames for each other, his taking center stage: Jax. He truly loved his buddies; Gus, Shoe, Sailor, Tommy, Taber the Animal, Thick Thumbs… the list goes on and on. They had many inside jokes that gave his life extra flavor and fun. 

Rick met Patty Pringnitz online in the spring of 2000 in an AOL chatroom. After several months of dial-up texting and calls, Patty finally agreed to meet him. After a successful first date and several months of long-distance dating, Rick got a job in downtown Minneapolis, moved in with Patty, and proposed. They were married on February 22, 2002, at the Pagoda Garden in Honolulu, HI. They traveled in their first few years of life together. He loved seeing new places, especially presidential museums. 

In the Twin Cities, Rick worked in retirement services at several Fortune 40 financial services companies. His work remained the same, but the company names changed around him. He retired as a retirement plan compliance expert from Wells Fargo/Wachovia in the spring of 2018. 

He spent his retirement puttering around the house, most days doing the thing he loved most… watching baseball (or football or hockey or golf or any sporting event). Rick and Patty moved to Duluth (Lakeside) in September 2019 and welcomed a new dog, Eleven, just before the pandemic lockdown, putting his plans to travel on indefinite hold. Patty retired two years ago to join him in his leisure. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Ken, his sister, Judy, and sister-in-law, Penny. He is survived by his wife, Patty (and Eleven), his brother, Steve, his nieces and nephews, many grand-nieces and nephews and an army of close friends.  

He was the nicest guy you could ever meet and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. 

Friends and family will be gathering to honor his life on May 4 at The Cremation Society, 4100 Grand Avenue, Duluth. A visitation will begin at 10 am with a service at 11 am.  

Patty is asking for stories of your experiences with Rick. Some stories will be shared at the service. No public speaking will be necessary unless you'd like to. A digital compilation of all the stories will be made available at no cost. Use the link below to type your stories. 

https://rb.gy/2jsyvd