Jackson, Arthur

Arthur Jackson, 80, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha. A Celebration of Life will be held at at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 2202 Forrest Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids. Pastor Joe Polzin will celebrate the service.

He is survived by his five children, Nancy Burrell of Richmond, Va., Laverne Landerum of Richmond, Va., Sharon Jackson of Newark, N.J., Myles Jackson of Roanoke, Va., and Curtis Jackson of East Orange, N.J.

He is also survived by his adopted family, Joe and Enri Ostrenga, Adam, Aaron of Fairfax, Iowa. Since Arthur did not have family in this area, he was adopted by Joe and Enri Ostrenga in his later years.

He was born in Amityville, N.Y. on August 17, 1930, the son of James Albert Jackson and Ruth Childs.

He was a Journalist, a teacher and a minister. He attended the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia, and Southern Illinois University. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Journalism. He also had two Bachelor degrees. Most of his work life was working for several magazine companies. He wrote magazine articles.

He enjoyed working and living all over the United States. He was the minister of a church in Chicago. He was a teacher in Moline, Ill.

While he lived in Iowa, he enjoyed being a member of his church. He worked with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. He was a member of the National Council for the Aged.

Arthur was a very special person in everyone's life. It was always a joy to be around him. Just having conversations with him was wonderful. He had a very special way of speaking. He enjoyed talking about the current events. He was very proud of his country and was always ready to vote in the next Presidential Election. He was always interested in knowing what he could do to help everyone. We will miss the sound of his voice but most of all we will miss his wonderful laugh and his smile.

The family would like to thank his doctors, Dr. Reider and Dr. Voigts, the staff at the Mercy Dialysis Center, The staff at Heritage Nursing and Rehab, and the staff of Hospice of Mercy in Hiawatha. Joe and Enri Ostrenga would like to thank their employers and coworkers for all their support. That allowed them to be with Arthur at his time of need. With everyone helping him, he had a lot of love and support in his life.

The family has requested memorials can be sent to the Hospice of Mercy in Hiawatha.