Click Here to View the Funeral for Mary Ann

Mary Ann (Hoherz) Jackson passed away on October 27, 2024, at Clarkson Health Care in Rapid City, SD.

Funeral services for Mary Ann will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 4, 2024 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.  Pastor Charlotte Kvale will officiate with burial to follow in the Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3, 2024 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

Family and friends are encouraged to sign the online guestbook.

Mary Ann was born in Mott, ND to Albert and Lydia Friez Hoherz on October 14th, 1933.  She was named after Albert's two aunts, Mary and Anna Beisigl.  Mary Ann was raised on a family farm that was ahead of the times. The farm was powered by a wind charger for electricity, had running water and one of the first TVs in the area that neighbors would come from near and far to watch.  She attended rural Beisigl schools for her grade school years and graduated from Lemmon High School.  After graduating, she put her love of numbers to work doing bookkeeping for the Westside Garage in Lemmon.

It was then that she captured the heart of her soulmate and husband of 70 years, Lynn Jackson.  They were married on June 12, 1953, while Lynn was on leave from the Army.  Mary Ann joined Lynn in Camp Roberts, California until he was transferred to Fort Richardson, Alaska.  They welcomed their son, Steven Jackson in April of 1954.  Lynn's tour of duty ended in December of that same year, and they returned to North Dakota to join Mary Ann's parents on the family farm.  In August of 1958, they welcomed their second son, Douglas Jackson.

When her parents retired to Mott, Mary Ann and Lynn took over the family farm.  It was in these years that Mary Ann stepped into the role of the farm matriarch; studying the grain markets, keeping the books, helping Lynn and Steve when they needed a vehicle moved and most importantly, making sure everyone on her land was always well fed.  She was very involved in the Beisigl township and school board, always bringing a fresh cake to the meetings.  During this time, she also took on the role of being her granddaughter, Lydia's, Grimmy.  She always took time out of her busy days to play Nintendo, proudly listen to Lydia play piano or sneak in "outside only" animals into her house.  When Lydia slept over, she would read her stories and chat before going to bed in matching twin beds in her guestroom.

Making food appear within the first few minutes of a guest's arrival was one of Mary Ann's many talents.  It didn't matter if you were invited or if you were an unexpected guest; there would be a cup of coffee or a Diet Pepsi and a full table of sweets that magically appeared.  She was a master in the kitchen and made mashed potatoes that no one has been able to duplicate.

Lynn benefitted the most from her skilled cooking.  Each night a full dinner was always waiting on the table for him, followed by a homemade dessert and a cup of coffee. There is no one she loved caring for more than Lynn.  He never had to lift a finger in the kitchen besides filling water glasses with ice cubes for guests or reaching items that were too high for Mary Ann, which was often.

Lynn and Mary Ann made the perfect pair.  They only spent a handful of nights apart from each other in their 70 years together. They made popcorn balls together for Halloween, caramels for Christmas, watched countless Yankees games and read books together.  Mary Ann was often seen wearing red because it was Lynn's favorite color.

Mary Ann was a tiny, feisty survivor of cancer, West Nile, a pacemaker and 3 house fires that she extinguished herself (most notably her laundry room this year).  She was fierce in everything she did:  loving Lynn, protecting her farm, making mashed potatoes and being proud of her family.  The only thing that ever slowed her down was when Lynn passed away in December of 2023.

Mary Ann is survived by her two sons, Steve (Eleanor) Jackson and Douglas (Stacey) Jackson, her granddaughter, Lydia (Todd) Engelson, and her two great-grandsons, Atlas and Oscar Engelson, all of Rapid City, SD.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lynn, her parents, Albert and Lydia Hoherz, Luella and JD Kirschmann and numerous nieces and nephews.