HARRY W. JACKSON

Mar. 25, 1929 - Sept. 16, 2010

Harry W. Jackson passed away September 16th at the age of 81, after a brief battle with cancer. He passed peacefully with his loving wife and son by his side. Harry was born on March 25, 1929 in the small shipping town of Barrow-in-Furness, England. Harry attended the Liverpool Nautical College in Liverpool England and left for Sea at the age of 15. He always said, "If you were from Barrow, you either built them or sailed them". Harry served in the Royal Merchant Marines and later went on to serve as a Chief Radio Officer on a variety of ships. Harry was blessed with the opportunity to travel the world and see many different cultures. In approximately 1952 he took a job in Veracruz, Mexico as the head of a British owned Telecommunications company. He lived and worked there for approximately 10 years. It was there where he became fluent in what he always would say was, "Proper Spanish". While in Mexico Harry also worked with the local police and served as a Special Police Inspector. In 1963 Harry decided to return back to sea, and while serving as a Chief Radio Officer on a cruise line, met his future wife Carolyn M. Hoshizaki. They were married on May 24, 1969, and honeymooned in Europe. On April 12, 1973 Harry and Carolyn welcomed their son Harry Jason. Later in life his son asked him why he didn't have any brothers or sisters and Harry being Harry just said, "Your mother and I decided to stop at perfection". Harry was always the jokester and the life of any gathering. Whether it was stories of his life at sea, or his often off-color jokes, he always drew a crowd. In 1975 Harry decided to stop working at sea so he could spend more time with his family. Later that year he started working at D'Arrigos Bros. in Brawley. In 1978 he took a job with Tenneco West, Sun Giant in Thermal, California. He worked there as there Quality Control Inspector, and supervised their farming operations in Mexico until 1983. In 1983 Harry began work as a State Agriculture Inspector, and worked there until 1986 when he joined the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Agency as an Inspector in Calexico. In 1988 Harry left the Immigration Department for U.S. Customs Service. He worked with them until he was medically retired as a Senior Inspector in 2005. During his time with the Customs Service, Harry served as the TECs Coordinator for two years and also did two separate stints as an Instructor at the Customs Academy in Glenco, Georgia. After his retirement Harry enjoyed spending time with his family and his computer. Harry was always learning, even in his later years. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn and son Harry Jason of El Centro; brother-in-law, Wayne Hoshizaki of San Marcos, California; nephew and wife, Randy and Karen Rice and children Emma and Jake of Newhall, California; cousin and wife, Mike and Moyra Slater of Barrow-In Furness, England and longtime friend Betty Hull of Dalton-In-Furness, England. A Memorial Service for Harry will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010. at Hems Brothers Mortuary in El Centro at 10 a.m. A luncheon celebrating his life will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Ryerson Hall, Desert Trails/Broken Spoke Golf Course in El Centro.