Judy Jackson, a paralegal and longtime resident of Williston Park, died on Wednesday, Sept. 13, in Sayville, N.Y. She was 78.
Colleagues and family members fondly recalled Jackson, who lived in Williston Park for more than seven decades, as a kind and competent woman.
“She was just incredibly brave and strong and she saw our family through a lot of challenges,” Deborah Stymest, Jackson’s daughter, said in an interview. “And she was a great mom all the while.”
Jackson was born on Oct. 22, 1938, in Jamaica, Queens, to Alfred and Frieda Burgazoli, the oldest of four children. The family moved to Williston Park in 1943 and she remained there for most of her life.
Michael Holland, a local attorney, said that he knew Jackson since his early years of practicing law in the 1970s. She worked as his paralegal for over 30 years, he said, until becoming ill in 2015 and interacted with thousands of people from many backgrounds.
“She was just somebody who was a cheerful individual who basically got along with anybody,” Holland said. “In my practice I have clients from probably most nationalities here on Long Island. Judy got along with everybody. I never heard her utter a mean word to anybody during the 40 plus years that I knew her.”
And in that time, Holland said Jackson was incredibly competent and always pushing to do everything well.
“I would say at 95 percent of the closings that I went to on real estate transactions, either the bank attorney or the attorney for the other party or someone from the title company, would praise Judy and her abilities,” Holland said. “She was a very, very, very competent individual while she was here.”
Jackson was happiest spending time with family and friends, Stymest said, frequently playing games and sharing kindness, love and wisdom. She also enjoyed cooking, baking and crafts like crocheting, knitting and cross-stitching.
Jackson created countless baby sweaters, scarves and wedding gifts, Stymest said.
“Judy’s family and friends will remember her as a woman of great strength, bravery, and pride in a job well done,” Stymest wrote in an obituary. “She made her mark on the world through the kindness, love and wisdom that she freely shared with intimate friends and family, as well as any person in need.”
“Judy’s values and dedication shaped us as the adults, spouses, siblings and parents we are today,” Symst added. “She will live on through her family, friends and countless people she touched.”
In addition to her daughter, of Montclair, N.J., she is survived by a son, James Jackson of Sayville, her grandsons Sam and Luke Stymest and Jimmy Jackson, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Her siblings Joyce, Robert and Alfred, as well as her son Tony Jackson of Williston Park died before her.
