Remembered by neighbors and friends for their dedication to the community, the late Frederick “Jiggs” and Margaret “Maggie” Jackson have bequeathed a $492,344 donation to the St. Ignace Community Foundation, $307,000 to the Lions of Michigan Service Foundation for health care services to Mackinac County residents, $307,000 to a church, and their home at Gros Cap to the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. The donations were announced July 30.

The Jacksons stipulated that the St. Ignace Community Foundation award two annual Jackson Memorial Fund scholarships for $1,000 each to high school graduates in St. Ignace, one who is pursuing a career in teaching and one pursuing a career in public safety. The foundation will use the remainder of the endowed fund earnings to aid community projects. Gifts to the Community Foundation are endowed, and the interest generated by them is used to support scholarships and grants, while the original donation, or fund corpus, remains untouched, creating a perpetual source of investment income. The fund is expected to earn about $18,000 a year.

The Jacksons spent their careers working in Detroit, Mr. Jackson as a sergeant for the Detroit Police Department for 35 years and Mrs. Jackson as a kindergarten teacher. The couple was married in 1970 before moving to St. Ignace in 1972, where they lived on Gros Cap Road.

Doug Brown of Harbor Springs, a stockbroker and caretaker for the Jacksons, first met the couple in the 1980s. He later helped Mrs. Jackson plan their estate when both were living at Mackinac Straits Hospital's long term care facility, a time when Mr. Jackson was suffering from dementia. Mrs. Jackson died in 2007 and Mr. Jackson passed away in 2009.

“It's a good story about philanthropy,” said Mr. Brown of the donation. “We spent a long time talking to Maggie about what they wanted to do, and [she wanted] to have an impact locally.”

When he met the Jacksons, Mr. Brown said they made a distinct impression on him right away. He came to offer his investment advice, but he quickly discovered the couple was wellinformed about the stock market and fully capable of making their own financial decisions. Because Mr. Jackson was partially blind, Ms. Jackson used to read him the Wall Street Journal every day.

“They'd call me up to buy stocks, and they ended up owning a lot of good ones through the '80s and '90s,” he said.

Because of Mr. Jackson's candid, “tell it like it is” attitude, Mr. Brown said he was a little uncertain about how to react to him at first, but soon became accustomed to his outgoing personality and direct style. Involved in the community, Mr. Jackson stayed up-to-date on local news and frequently wrote letters to the editor of The St. Ignace News expressing his opinions.

“He was like a cop,” he said, “and would kind of bark at you. It took me a while to realize that he liked me.” Mr. Brown described Mrs. Jackson as “a character.” He said she was an avid reader of history and biographies, classic movies, and gardening. Like Mr. Jackson, she had a forthcoming personality and was not hesitant about stating her opinion.

“She seemed kind of put-offish to a lot of people,” he said, “but she remembered everyone's names at the care facility and could turn into the greatest host at the drop of the hat.”

Mr. Jackson, who served as a bombardier for the Army Air Corps during World War II, would tell stories about his experiences for hours on end, said Rick Silet of St. Ignace, a friend who knew the couple for about 30 years. During the war, Mr. Jackson's B-25 plane was shot down over the Keal River bordering Germany and Sweden, he said, and he spent the rest of the war in Sweden.

“Fred would take over command of the plane as they approached the bomb site and would aim and drop the bombs,” he said. “He would always laugh because he flunked out of the pilot part of the training -- he landed the plane the worst anybody ever had.”

Mr. Jackson took on a tough image, Mr. Silet said, but underneath the surface he was a compassionate person who cared for the well-being of the community.

“He didn't like being pushed around, liked to stand up for himself and for other people. It wasn't a bad thing, in my opinion; he was just standing up for rights, and too many of us backed down at times. He loved making sure the government was working for the citizens, and you'd see him at the township meetings,” he said.

The Jacksons' property on Gros Cap road was bequeathed to the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, which will use the land to access St. Helena Island.

“We're honored to be able to carry on their tradition at their estate,” said Dick Moehl, president of the association, who met with Mrs. Jackson to discuss how the property would be used.

“She was a genuine, nice person,” he said. “You could tell she had a certain discipline to her -- she knew how to control what was going on. She was a beautiful lady who loved her husband.”

The money allocated to the Lions of Michigan Service Foundation will provide senior citizens with eye care, hearing aids, and medical assistance in Mackinac County, said executive director Chad McCann.

“It's one of the largest donations we've received,” he said. “It will enable our Lions Clubs in that area to go out and assist more people in their community, and it's going to help a lot of elderly people.”