Lois Rose Jackson

Lois Rose (Brown) Jackson, 96, passed away of natural causes on Friday, Nov. 12 at Spring Creek Retirement Center in Boise. An internment and celebration of life will take place in the springtime when her ashes are combined with those of her husband Eldon at the Idaho Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Lois was born March 8, 1925 to Lawrence J. and Mabel L. (Varner) Brown in Colorado Springs, CO, the sixth of eight children. With much hardship in 1934, during the Great Depression, the family was fortunate to make their way to Nampa, Idaho. Lois was in 4th grade and went on to graduate from Nampa High School in 1942. From high school she moved to Portland and worked as a true ‘Rosie the Riveter’ until August 1944 and then to Pocatello where she worked for Union Pacific RR until 1946. During that summer, she was vacationing in Yellowstone National Park with friends from Portland. Eldon Jackson had recently completed his enlistment with the Merchant Marines and was visiting the park with his cousin. They met on Fishing Bridge and fell in love. Shortly after that, they were married in Salt Lake City and stayed there until 1950. While living in Salt Lake, Eldon drove a Yellow Cab and Lois worked as a seamstress for a drapery designer. Their son Steven was added to the family in 1949. Her husband’s new job then took them to Colorado, New Mexico and Texas from 1951-54 and the family grew with the addition of their daughter Carol. The latter part of 1954 they came to Nampa and she bought the Drapery Shop and in 1957 added the Knit Shop, which became the Knit and Drapery Shop. Her venture would eventually become Jackson’s Draperies. It was a fabulous partnership with her husband, who installed her creations. The business flourished for several decades, manufacturing and selling window coverings throughout the Treasure Valley and beyond. They employed more than two dozen workers, some who were trained and started their own business. She was very ambitious throughout her life. Singing, dancing, knitting and collecting antiques were some of her favorite things. In 1972, with children grown and a thriving business, they were nowhere near retiring. They enjoyed traveling abroad and visiting their cabin at Smith’s Ferry. When she did retire from the drapery business, Lois worked for Micron for a short while and then became a personal care provider for handicapped adults. At the same time, they discovered their greatest satisfaction in life was becoming grandparents They were very close to their grandchildren during their formative years. She enjoyed being a granny as each new little one was added to the family. A few years after Eldon passed away in 2005, Lois lived with her grandson Travis and his family, until moving to Spring Creek Retirement Home in May 2021.
Lois is survived by her son Steven (Christi) in Moscow and daughter Kelli Larson in Boise. She will be missed by a large extended family with her four grandchildren, including Travis Jackson in Boise; Alicia (Mark) Lovejoy of Bend, OR; Julie (Mike) Whitescarver and Kate (John) Grems of McCall; 10 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Betty Campbell of Boise and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband Eldon, she was preceded in death by her parents, 4 brothers, Kenneth, Paul, Wayne and Lawrence “Bo”, and 2 sisters Violet and Gladene.
The family wishes to thank Spring Creek Retirement staff and administration for their loving care and warm hospitality over the past six months. They provided a secure home for Lois where she made friends and was comfortable with her personal belongings. God blessed Lois with a long, healthy life and faith in her loving Lord and savior Jesus Christ. The world is a better place because of her generosity and positive role model. She will be remembered for her willingness to join in family activities with light heartedness and interest in the well-being of others.