Dr. William Thomas Jackson

Dr. William Thomas Jackson, 90, of Fishers, Indiana passed away on January 11, 2024. Bill was born January 26, 1933 in New Haven, Connecticut to the late Richard Willet and Dorothy (Gee) Jackson.

Bill grew up in Philadelphia and Peoria. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois where he was a member of Delta Phi Fraternity and played clarinet in the marching band. He took great pride in marching at the Rose Bowl when his Fighting Illini attended in 1951. Bill went on to earn a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, followed by a post-doctorate at the California Institute of Technology.

During his 40 years as an immunologist at Eli Lilly and Company, Bill was a key contributor to many patents and scientific publications until his retirement in 1998. Throughout his life, Bill had a hunger for knowledge and had many interests. He avidly read on history, philosophy, and baseball; belonged to several book clubs; took up studying new languages such as Japanese, Mandarin and Korean; and above all held great interest in the pursuits of his family members. Bill also loved classical music and opera and often talked about attending Wagner’s Bayreuth Festival as a young man.

Bill traveled extensively, visiting five continents and making friends everywhere he went. He relaxed by taking walks, going for Sunday drives, solving sudoku puzzles and doing jigsaw puzzles with his daughter, Lisa. He religiously followed the New York Yankees from the age of 10 and never missed his son Terry’s little league games. He also loved outdoor activities. During his college years, he enjoyed rappelling, and climbed Mount Rainier in his 40s.

Bill’s nature was to always smile, laugh, and make jokes. He loved spending time with younger people and particularly delighted in trying to make them laugh. He not only generously loved and gave time to his own children and grandchildren but he became a grandfatherly figure to friends Eve and Joe Zhang and Turner Detrick.

When asked what he thought the meaning of life was he replied, “Life is a series of changing relationships.” He was a brilliant and beautiful soul who gave love to everyone he encountered without asking anything in return.

Bill was recently preceded in death by his loving wife of 60 years, Lynn (McDaniels) Jackson; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Guy and Alyssa McDaniels, Jr. and nephew, David McDaniels. He is survived by his beloved children, Lisa Michelle Jackson and Terry (Marni Hochman) Jackson; grandchildren, Atlas (Ren) Feigel and Thai Jackson; sister, Marianna Jackson; nephew, Grant (Bonnie Glendinning) McDaniels; grand-cats, Laila Ali, Kichi, Cosy, and Kiba; and countless dear friends.

Memorial services for Lynn and Bill will be announced soon.

Memorial contributions name are suggested to: Black Girls Do STEM (https://bgdstem.com/) or PFLAG (https://pflag.org/)

Online condolences available at www.leppertmortuary.com