Peter Jackson Ford
Peter Jackson Ford, 78, of Chattanooga, died on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, of pulmonary complications.
A graduate of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School and Notre Dame High School, he was born on Dec. 27, 1942, at Erlanger Hospital. Jack, as he was called, devoted himself to the study of cars, especially the 60s models of the Italian Fiat, as well as Formula One racing and other auto-related endeavors.
He played football in elementary school and high school. After high school, Jack worked for Continental Can Company and other businesses, including Kayo Gas near the family home in East Brainerd. The fourth child and third son of Bill and Fannie Lee Ford’s 10 children, Jack suffered from mental health challenges. At about age 20 he received a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and later his diagnosis was bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, he pursued his avid interests and kept up with family and friends. Living as long as he did, he defied the odds that usually afflict the mentally ill, who as a group are much more likely to die prematurely.
Jack could always be relied on to remember details of his brothers’ and sisters’ lives and of his mother’s and father’s years on earth long after they had passed. Growing up, he was frequently in the company of his cousins Alan Cate and Perry and Paul Jackson, all close in age. As an adult, he was an enthusiastic participant in alumni gatherings of Notre Dame High’s Class of 1961 and in his very large Jackson and Martin family reunions. He especially loved being part of his cousin Alan Cate’s annual Jackson gathering at his home on Lake Chickamauga.
There was not a road in north Georgia, north Alabama or east Tennessee that Jack did not know well. Where did Uncle Fletcher and his boys live in Flintstone 60 years ago? It was right down this road. That obscure overlook of the Tennessee River from ancestral Ford property near South Pittsburg? He could take you there.
Jack was a faithful companion to his mother during the 23 years she survived Bill Ford, and he took care of the large yard that went with their home. When she finally retired from driving, he drove his environmental advocate mother regularly to sights such as the annual migration of Sandhill cranes to feeding areas near Birchwood, Tn., and many other places. The two of them frequently watched “Jeopardy” in the evenings, and Jack was quick to answer many of the questions. Jack was an important help in his mother’s taking part in choir and her beloved quilting group at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, where both were active.
Jack was preceded in death by his father, William Alexander Ford, his mother, Fannie Lee Jackson Ford, and his younger brother, James.
He is survived by his brothers and sisters, Bill, Jr. (Jean), Mary Agraz (Rodolfo), Pat (Suzanne), Estelle Ford-Williamson (Richard), Janet Meadows, Clara Ford, Katie Sprouse (Joel), and Mona Ford, thirteen nieces and nephews and spouses, numerous grand nieces and nephews, and a very large number of cousins.
The family would like to express its deep gratitude to their cousins for being friends with Jack and visiting with him often, especially Alan and Cheryl Cate, Anne and Sergio Siller, Donna Hise, Frances Moore, Peter Jackson, Larry Jackson, Dennis Jackson, David and Sunny Jackson, John and Mary Jackson, and Pat, Donna, and Bud Jackson.
A funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Friday, Jan. 8, at 11 a.m. with arrangements being made by Chattanooga Funeral Home (masks and social distancing requested).
He will be laid to rest next to his parents and James at Greenwood Cemetery on Missionary Ridge.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The AIM Center of Chattanooga.