Obituary of William Erwin MacDonald Jamison

William “Bill” Jamison, Orange Park, FL, died at home on March 10, 2015, of complications from COPD and heart failure. He was the third child born to Paul H. and Kathleen MacDonald Jamison in Dallas, Texas, February 1, 1930. He was quick to tell you that all Bills came on the first, and that he was a proud Texan. He is survived by his beloved wife of almost 59 years, Jane McDonald Jamison, his two loved children and their spouses, Michael and Susan (Anania) Jamison, Dickson, TN; Barry and Shawn (Jamison) Hill, Bartlett, TN; sisters Martha “Marty” Lonvick, Memphis, TN, Kathleen “Midge” Whitson, Houston, TX, and Susan “Susie” Rogers, Charlotte, NC; plus a host of nieces and nephews who loved him. Bill was proud of his two children and their accomplishments in life, but mostly proud of the adults they became. Bill was a self-made man. He dropped out of high school his senior year and joined the U.S. Army where he served four years as a paratrooper with the 11th Airborne Division. He earned his GED and became instrumental in developing education courses for the Army. Declining the offer to attend Officers Candidate School, Bill returned to Dallas where he attended Southern Methodist University. Deciding that he wasn’t a “school” person, he went to work for Braniff Airways then American Airlines. He was then employed by American Express for 32 years where he worked his way up from Sales Representative to Vice President. During his years with AmEx, Bill and his family moved from Dallas to Cincinnati, OH, Cresskill, NJ, Stone Mountain, GA, Memphis, TN, Washington, DC, Plantation, FL. After his retirement, they moved back to Georgia then to Orange Park to be close to their son. Bill was a long-time member of the Fort Lauderdale Country Club, the Olde Atlanta Club, and Orange Park Country Club. He was proud that he had made two holes in one in his lifetime. He was an avid reader, student of history, made friends easily, and was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan from their beginning. Bill loved to laugh and was happiest with his family and extended family around him. He was a kind and generous man. A memorial service will be held in Dallas “when the bluebonnets are in bloom.”