John Michael "Mike" Jackson
Feb 16, 1941 -
Jul 4, 2026
John Michael "Mike" Jackson of Cordova, Alaska, passed away of natural causes on July 4, 2026, in Alamos, Mexico. He was born on Feb. 16, 1941, in Sacramento, Calif., to Royle and Thomas Walter Jackson, DVM.
He grew up a free spirited adventurer: pheasant hunting, fishing and swimming in the Sacramento River, hopping trains to travel up into the Sierra Mountains and camping at remote lakes. He attended McClatchy High but graduated from Sacramento High. In his late teens and early 20s he was hired by family friend "Doc" Sanders, to attend cattle and horses being shipped on ocean voyages to Hawaii and the Philippines, experiences which instilled his love of travel abroad.
He left a job with Game and Fish in California in 1970 to seek an Alaskan wilderness adventure. He traveled north with three friends, including a New York artist who also loved the wilderness and eventually became his wife. On that summer's adventure, he found his career as a fisheries technician for Alaska Department of Fish and Game and his home in Cordova.
Mike was passionate about the importance of working in the field, which he felt was vital to sound fishery management. Seasonally, he walked 100 streams twice each summer in Prince William Sound counting returning salmon, and their fry and eggs in fall and spring. After retiring from the state, he developed his own business, Eyak Outlet, rebuilding impellers for the local fishing fleet.
Mike was married to Joan Bugbee on the summer solstice 1973 in Cordova. Their daughter, Brook Bond Jackson, was born in 1976. Together they built their own home and workshop on the shores of Eyak Lake. He was a loyal friend to all he knew and worked with both in Cordova and later in Alamos, where he and Joan made their seasonal home.
Those who knew Mike will remember him for his imagination, sense of adventure, love of a good story and unique characters and character names. He loved hunting, fishing, flying, each of his successive black Labrador retrievers, a morning hot tub with a cup of coffee overlooking Eyak Lake, a refreshing drink of fizzy water and perfecting his smoked salmon.
Mike is survived by his spouse, Joan Bugbee Jackson; daughter, Brook and son-in-law Craig Pester; and three grandchildren, Korbin, Owen and Claire Pester. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Pete Jackson.
A Celebration of Mike will be held on Oct. 10, 2026, at 4-7 p.m., at the Pioneer's Lodge, Pioneer Igloo Hall #19, 621 1st Street in Cordova. A pig will be roasted. Guests are asked to bring side dishes and desserts. All who knew Mike are welcome to come and share memories of him. The family also requests people contribute stories and/photos to the memorial website https://www.online-tribute.com/Mike-Jackson.
