Anne Jackson

Anne Taube Jackson, 89, passed peacefully into glory on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

Anne was born on October 1, 1934, in Springfield, Massachusetts, the only child of Helen (Patrick) and Melvin Taube. As the daughter of a college coach and athletic director, Anne grew up around sports, and she remained an ardent sports fan throughout her life. Growing up, she herself excelled at a number of sports: archery, sailing, tennis, horseback riding. She was also an Indiana high school state champion swimmer and loved the water. As an adult, she would sometimes have one of her children row a boat alongside her as she swam from the family home pier to Turville Point and back, about a mile! Until her very last day, she remained an avid fan of all Badger sports, as well as the Brewers, the Bucks, and the Packers.

The proud mom of seven children, her kids remember how Anne always decorated the family home beautifully for holidays. She made many of the decorations herself: Madonnas made from magazines, advent trees with plywood and twine, Easter trees from tree limbs, and more. She also handmade Halloween costumes: princesses, clowns, Mickey Mouse, and even an elephant head from papier-mâché. She also created custom speed skating warmups, both for her children and for others, never disappointing a customer.

Anne loved nature, often stopping on country roads to gather cattails and wildflowers. In her 50s, she began breeding and showing champion angora rabbits. This awakened a passion for fibers that later led her to open a fiber shop on their farmette in Montello, where she also hosted spinning classes and dyed fibers in radiant color combinations. A friend once said of her, “She did the most beautiful things with color.” In her final years, Anne became a voracious reader, devouring novels as quickly as the Clearview Nursing Home staff could deliver them. There, she greatly enjoyed interacting with the staff who cared for her, the field trips, the music concerts, “Two-Egg Tuesday,” the “candy cart,” and the weekly visits from the Newfoundlands and other dogs. Her family is deeply grateful to Clearview for their love and care of Anne.

Anne’s children are also thankful for some of the beneficial traits she imparted to them, including friendliness and a genuine interest in others, a lifelong love of learning, a willingness to work hard in pursuit of goals, and an ability to persevere when facing difficult circumstances.

Anne’s husband of 41 years, Don Jackson, preceded her in death in 2022. Anne is survived by her seven children: Kim Yoerger, Jim (Diane) Mullen, Shannon (Jim) Leaman, Laurie Mullen, Kevin (Geri) Jackson, Shawn Mullen, and Kelly (Jeff) Nyhoff; grandchildren Brad Mehn, Patricia Link, Keegan Mullen, Kieran Mullen, Amanda Burt, Elizabeth Burt, Michael (Lauren) Hamilton, Ashley Jones, Garrik (Emma) Jackson, Dylan (Emily) Jackson, Max Mullen, and seven great-grandchildren.

The family will host a celebration of Anne’s life on Saturday, June 29, from 1:00pm to 3:30pm at the atrium of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin, and would love for you to attend and share memories of Anne.