Maureen Jackson

Maureen Jackson, formerly of Brookline, Sherborn, and Needham, MA, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2019, surrounded by her family. She is survived by her loving children, Joan M. Woods of Portsmouth, RI; John E. Turley of Long Beach, CA; and Carolyn R. and her husband Scott Stanwood of Holliston, MA. She was the cherished grandmother of Kathryn and Lauren Woods and Ryan and Kate Stanwood. She leaves behind her brothers Willard (Bunky) Jackson and his wife Ann of Needham, Christopher Jackson and his wife Patricia of Walpole, William Jackson of Revere, Thomas Jackson and Sharon of Millis, her sisters Jane Jackson of Needham and Delia (Dee Dee) Finneral of Lowell, as well as many nieces and nephews.

With a thirst for learning that knew no bounds, Maureen was both a lifelong scholar and an educator. Whether it was with her students in a classroom or her children and grandchildren, she delighted in fostering new ideas in others.

After graduating from Needham High School, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Boston College in English and education, magna cum laude. While raising her three children, she found time to earn her masters degree in education at Harvard University with high honors. Her post-graduate course work through the years included studies at Stirling University in Scotland, the William Butler Yeats International Summer School in Sligo, Ireland and the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement

Maureens career encompassed over 20 years of teaching at Brookline High School, freelance writing, and graduate, elementary, and substitute teaching. She was the principal of the Blue Hills Montessori School in Canton, MA, mentored and evaluated numerous graduate students at Boston University, and taught at the Harvard Institute for Learning. Through the American Society of Learned Studies (ACLS), she participated in the first U.S. high school teacher exchange program with China, where she taught at the Beijing #12 School.

Her desire to learn was not limited to books and classrooms. She journeyed the world to learn about different cultures firsthand. Her extensive adventures included traversing the Silk Road and the Great Wall of China, climbing Katmandu in Nepal, riding elephants in Thailand, hiking glaciers in Alaska, and exploring the different provinces of India. Her travels also included adventures in Europe, New Zealand, Indonesia, and, her favorite place to visit with her family, St. John in the United States Virgin Islands.

She loved spending her time volunteering at the Boston Harbor Islands, attending the Boston Symphony Orchestra and many theaters, reading and listening to poetry, reading the Wall Street Journal and, most especially, she loved playing Mahjong with some of her dearest friends.

Albert Einstein stated, The education of the individual aspires to revive an ideal that is geared towards the service of our fellow man. Maureen was the personification of this ideal both through her professional and personal work.

A memorial Mass will be held on Monday, August 19, 2019, at 10:00 AM at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 28 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA.

Donations in her memory may be made to Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, payable to Boston Harbor Now, PO Box 961712 Boston, MA 02196