1912 – 2014

AUBURN — Barbara Buchanan Jackson, 101, a native of Auburn, passed away on Tuesday, March 25, following a short illness.

She was born to Arthur Perry Buchanan and Addie Vaughn Porter Buchanan on Dec. 9, 1912. A descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, who came to America on the Mayflower, and of Anthony and Susannah Colby, who were among the earliest Caucasian settlers of Amesbury, Mass. Barbara was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Barbara grew up in Auburn, graduating from Edward Little High School in 1931. She met Francis Marion Jackson Jr. on a blind date and married him at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Auburn on Oct. 3, 1936. Following their marriage, they lived in Maine, Connecticut, New York, Tennessee and Vermont. Barbara worked as a telephone operator for New England Telephone and Telegraph for many years before retiring first in Paris, Tenn., then Minneapolis, Minn., and finally in Portland.

The mother of three children, she shared with them her love of travel and learning. Barbara made several trips to Europe, went to Zimbabwe when she was 80 and traveled to Senegal when she was 93.

She is survived by two of her children; sons, Francis Marion Jackson III (wife Ellen) of Portland and Robert Porter Jackson (wife Babs) of Vienna, Va.; sister, Marguerite Heisterman of Wall, N.J.; and three grandchildren, Penelope Elisabeth Gronbeck (daughter of David and Nancy Vaughan Jackson Gronbeck) of Portland, Donald Alexander Gronbeck (wife Mary) (son of David and Nancy Vaughan Jackson Gronbeck) of Centreville, Ohio, and Alexandra Mae Jackson (daughter of Francis and Ellen Jackson) of Portland.