Former coroner Jackson dies at 91
Former Washington County Coroner Farrell Jackson passed away Friday at the age of 91. “I thought very highly of Farrell. I thought he was a gentleman. Farrell stretched the definition of coroner to meet a very real need to consider the safety of the public to prevent future victims from becoming victims,” said Washington County Commissioner J. Bracken Burns.
Jackson, a native of Marianna, was employed at Bethlehem Corp. Mine 58 in Marianna for 40 years. In 1958 he was appointed Washington County Coroner by the governor following the death of then-coroner James Gray. He held the post for nearly 34 years, regularly winning re-election before retiring in 1992.
United Mine Workers of America official Joseph “Jock” Yablonski had recommended Jackson for the county post. In 2004, when the Marianna-Prosperity exit of Interstate 79 was dedicated as the Farrell Jackson Interchange because of his work to improve highway safety, Jackson recalled the horrific murder of Yablonski, his wife and daughter during a heated race for the union presidency in 1970 in which Yablonski had pointed out corruption in the UMWA.
“The worst thing that ever happened to me was the day my friend Joseph Yablonski was killed. It was a hard day when I had to go to his home to pronounce him, his wife and daughter dead,” Jackson said in 2004 at the dedication ceremony.
As Burns pointed out, Jackson took the role of coroner very seriously and went beyond death pronouncements to try to prevent unnecessary deaths.
“He turned it into a safety advocate role, which was worthy,” Burns said.
When a truck overturned on a sharp curve at the I-70/I-79 interchange and killed a child in a passing car, Jackson threatened to charge the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, state Sen. J. Barry Stout, D-Bentleyville, recalled at the sign dedication. Jackson’s concern resulted in the construction of a high concrete barrier and the eventual redesign of the interchange to improve safety.
Jackson also took on Chrysler Corp. after determining in 1990 that a faulty latch on the lift gate of a Chrysler Plymouth Voyager was a contributing factor in a double highway fatality in a Washington County highway accident. Jackson received the support of the National Highway Safety Board in his battle against Chrysler, leading to the recall and repair of 6 million vehicles.
“I’m proud to know that I was instrumental in saving a lot of lives,” Jackson said at the 2004 ceremony.
The Nichol Funeral Home in Marianna is handling the funeral arrangements, with visitation Saturday and Sunday.