Ingeborg “Inge” Emma Jackson, 95, of Chatfield, Minnesota, died peacefully at her home on September 23, 2026.
Inge was born on November 1, 1930, in Picher, Mecklenburg, Germany, to Elsa Seemann and Hans Schmidt, and was raised by her grandparents. In 1949, with her homeland under Soviet occupation, Inge had to choose between being sent to Siberia or crossing the border into the West. She chose the West. There she lived in a camp, where she trained as a seamstress, and then worked for a year and a half as a maid in Wiesbaden. Her employer helped her get her green card, and she went on to work in a factory that made radio parts.
In 1953, in Wiesbaden, Inge met John Frederick Jackson, who was serving in the United States Air Force. They married and spent the years that followed traveling the world together during John’s military career, with their beloved cat Tinker along for the journey. In 1958 they welcomed their only child, Debra. In 1976 they retired to the family farm in Chatfield, which remained Inge’s home for the rest of her life.
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Inge and John traveled to East Germany. It was her first time seeing her family since she left in 1949, 40 years earlier. Her German relatives later came to Chatfield to see the farm she loved.
Inge had a gift for making things with her hands. She kept a large vegetable garden on the farm and filled her root cellars with home-canned pickles, peaches, salsa, and more. She was an accomplished crocheter, and over the years her afghans and pickled foods won many awards at the Olmsted County Fair. She was also a longtime oil painter, and her paintings still decorate her home. In the kitchen, she was known for her homemade bread and apple crisp, which no one could quite match. Inge loved animals, especially the many cats that shared the farm with her over the years and her beloved Welsh corgi, whom she called “Cork.” She also gave generously of her time, volunteering for many years with the Chosen Valley Care Center Foundation in Chatfield.
After John’s death in 2007, Inge spent her remaining years on the farm, enjoying time with family and watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up and come to love the farm as much as she did.
Inge is survived by her daughter Debra Rislow (Dave Faulkner), her granddaughters Emma (Mark) Westphal and Rosie (Andy) Taylor, her great-grandchildren Walker and William Westphal and Jackson and Lucy Taylor; and many friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband John in 2007; her parents Elsa Seemann and Hans Schmidt, and her sister Ilsa Holz.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Chatfield United Methodist Church, 124 Winona St. SE, Chatfield, Minnesota. Visitation will be held at the church from 10 to 11 a.m., before the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Chosen Valley Care Center, in memory of Inge Jackson.
Hoff Funeral & Cremation Service – Chatfield is assisting the family with arrangements. www.hofffuneral.com.
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