A public graveside service for Fern will be held on Monday, November 25, 2019, at 12:30 p.m. at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery where military honors will be rendered. For more information or to send a condolence please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Fern and her family.

Fern Louise Goddard was born on October 20, 1948 in Billings, Montana, to parents Charles and Lorrine (Selzer) Goddard. She and her family moved from Montana to Fairfax, Iowa, in 1951. She graduated from Prairie High School in the class of 1966. She attended the University of Iowa where she was a member of the Scottish Highlanders. As a Highlander, she toured Europe and the U.S., including marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1979, she answered the call of her country and enlisted in the United States Navy where she served until 1983. During her time in the Navy she had met her future husband, Marvin Jackson. Upon leaving the service she reconnected with Marvin and the two were united in marriage on June 4, 2004. They lived together in Marion, Iowa.

In her free time, she enjoyed crafting, reading and listening to music. She lived and worked all over the country including New Orleans, Seattle, Sacramento and Tucson. She was proud of her tour in the Phillipines. She will be remembered for her witty and adventurous personality.

Left to cherish her memory is her step-daughter Christy; her siblings: Carol Crisman, of Solon, Charles Goddard (Janet), of Fairfax, and Ann Valentine, Riverside, as well as her nieces and nephews.

In death, Fern rejoins her husband, Marvin and her parents Charles and Lorrine.