IN MEMORIAM

EXPANDED EULOGIES

“In Memoriam” listings are expanded paid obituaries, phrased as the family requests, and may include enhanced information or photographs that might not fit within free death notices.

Max Jackson Jr.

A memorial service for Max Guy Jackson Jr., 79, who died May 30, will be 11 a.m. Saturday, July 18, at Marion Presbyterian Church, 610 E. Lawrence St.

Max was born June 20, 1946, at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita to Max Guy Jackson Sr. and Patricia Potter Jackson.

Max’s father had been discharged from the Army Air Force, and the young couple moved from Peabody to Marion so that Max Sr. could work with his father, Guy Jackson, at Jackson Clothing Store.

Max was the first child and would be joined over the next 5½ years by George, Helen, and Roger.

He was blessed with a loving and supportive nuclear family and many close relatives in Peabody, where both his parents were born and raised.

Further blessings for Max included a good small-town school system and effective spiritual guidance from Marion Presbyterian Church.

In this environment he thrived, excelling and enjoying the life of a small-town schoolboy.

He attended Marion public schools from kindergarten through high school.

Particularly important during this era was the closing of country schools.  Beginning in fifth grade, kids from country schools began transferring their schooling to Marion, where they had a profoundly positive impact on the class of 1964.

Max enjoyed athletics and particularly enjoyed camaraderie with his teammates. He was selected as all-state honorable mention for both football and basketball.

He was a natural runner, winning the Kansas State Indoor quarter mile and later in the season setting a Marion High School record that still stands.

In academics, he was fortunate to have several outstanding teachers and was class valedictorian.

Most important to Max, however, were lifelong friendships from his Marion years, which he rekindled after returning to his hometown.

Max attended the University of Kansas, where he played freshman varsity basketball for KU, was in Phi Beta Kappa, and was president of his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. Max is grateful for continuing friendships with pledge brothers.

After college Max attended the University of Kansas Medical School, graduating with a medical degree in 1972.

His internship was at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, and he did a residency in family medicine at the University of Connecticut.

For several years after his residency, Max was on the medical school faculty at the University of Connecticut.

During this time he became interested in physician administrative management. In 1984, Max was accepted into Harvard Business School and, in 1986, received an MBA.

During business school, Max met and married Pamela Elaine Braye, also a student at Harvard.

After business school Pam and Max moved to Kansas City, where Max was employed for 18 years as chief medical officer at Research Medical Center.

Max and Pam were thrilled with the birth of Ethan in 1987 and Lydia in 1991. Max often emphasized that having children was the greatest gift possible. Pam was a loving and talented wife and mother.

In 2006, Max moved to Reno, Nevada, to accept a position as chief medical officer of Renown Regional Medical Center, a hospital with 800 beds and a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians.

While in Reno, the marriage to Pam ended. They have remained friends since then.

While in Reno, Max met Barbara Wilson, who had retired to Reno after a 30-year management career with Xerox.

In retirement, Barbara developed informal jazz singing interests into a definitive career, which included performances at major jazz clubs and restaurants in Reno and surrounding areas.

Max became a sit-in performer, playing trombone and guitar. Friendship and mutual interests led to more, and they married in 2015.

Barbara and Max moved to Marion for their retirement years.

Barbara quickly established her credentials as a jazz vocalist, frequently performing in Marion County and in Wichita at Newport Grill.

They were a loving couple, frequently traveled, and supported local restaurants.

Preceding Max in death were his grandparents, Guy and Martha Jackson and George and Helen Potter; his parents, Patricia Potter Jackson and Max Jackson Sr,; and his brother, Roger Jackson.

He leaves his wife, Barbara; children Ethan and Lydia; grandson August; sister Helen (and husband Tim) Nicholson; brother George (and wife Jeanette) Jackson; sister-in-law Sandy Jackson; and many beloved cousins.

Memorials have been designated for Good Shepherd Hospice, Compassion International, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in care of Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, PO Box 96, Marion KS 66861.