Obituary: Andrew Verner Jackson
Andrew Verner Jackson of Montclair, an information technology company executive, died suddenly on Sept. 28, 2022, while on a business trip to London. He was 53.
Born and raised in England by parents unfamiliar with American presidential history, Mr. Jackson was a rebellious, Harley-Davidson-riding youth who grew up in County Devon, surrounded by a loving, blended family and lifelong friends.
He studied mechanical engineering at the University of Plymouth and launched a career with British IT company Amulet Hotkey Ltd.
In 2001 he arrived in New York City to establish the company’s U.S. presence. It was there that he met the love of his life, Elizabeth Nystrom, whom he married 15 years ago in Moretonhampstead, U.K.
Mr. Jackson and his wife were raising their three daughters in Montclair while he worked as president of Amulet Hotkey in Manhattan. Their daughters – Lillian, 13, Abigail, 11, and Josephine, 6 – were his pride and joy. He was equally adoring of his sunfish sailboat.
He was an incredibly present and attentive dad. He led his family on endless adventures, including camping trips, foreign escapades and skiing and snowboarding excursions. At home, the family enjoyed grand English breakfasts, spending time in their yard with neighborhood friends and chatting in bed as a family for hours on weekend mornings.
Mr. Jackson thoroughly spoiled the girls when his wife was away, as when he and the girls put on their “rich guy outfits” to rent a Mustang one weekend. He set up backyard Olympics, complete with cornhole, basketball and pingpong. The prizes were a ten-dollar bill, a TV in your room for a week and a turn driving the Mustang.
He had friends spanning several continents. The outpouring of love and grief following the news of his sudden passing was a testament to his gift for fully engaging with every single person he met.
Mr. Jackson was brilliant, innovative and creative. He put his engineering talents to use with madcap and occasionally useful domestic inventions such as a homemade, solar-powered generator that he hooked up to a microwave in order to make popcorn on a recent camping trip. Everyone was amazed when it worked, even though only a few kernels popped.
He had a brilliant sense of humor and was a wonderful storyteller, peppering his tales with daft British slang. But he was always a gentleman, too, and quietly supportive, especially in difficult circumstances.
Mr. Jackson showered love on his wife and three girls with abandon, as if he knew they would need a stockpile to last lifetimes. His wife compares their marriage to a rich, decadent dessert, delightedly savored but consumed too soon.
His loss is profound. But more importantly, his enthusiasm for life was an extraordinary and infectious gift that will long live on in all who knew him.
In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Jackson is survived by his parents, Sandra and Adrian White of Newton Abbot, U.K., and William and Victoria Jackson of Lustleigh, U.K.; sister, Ingrid Stanley (Roger) of Kirkham, U.K.; brothers, Alex White (Ruth) of Broadwoodkelley, U.K., and Oliver White (Anna) of Bovey Tracy, U.K., and numerous friends and other relatives.
Community members are invited to pay their respects on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club, 26 Northview Ave.
A Go Fund Me has been set up to contribute to the education of Mr. Jackson’s three daughters at gofund.me/c39f4bff
Arrangements were by ParkersFD in the United Kingdom.