RADM Grady L. Jackson , USN Ret.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Obituary

Born July 3, 1939 at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana, Grady Lee was the fifth child of John Marion (Jack) and Florence Ricketts Jackson. Grady passed away on November 2, 2025, All Saints’ Sunday– a day that could not have been more fitting. His son Dan by his side, he quietly left this world for his much dreamed about eternal home. Grady’s life was marked by pivotal moments of fate and grace that led to his extraordinary impact on the world. It is an honor for his family to share his story here.
             When Grady was born, the Jackson family shared a home with Florence’s sister and her husband, Rose and Ray Shipley. Florence was ill following his birth and after she collapsed at the top of a staircase with Grady in her arms, Rose took over and cared for him during his infancy. Later, when the men left for war in Europe, Rose, Florence and the five children rented a home together in Indianapolis. After WWII ended, the Jacksons, sans Grady, moved to Texas and later Japan. The Shipleys and Grady stayed in Indianapolis where he grew up as the beloved only child of his aunt and uncle, whom he called mom and dad.
             Rose was an avid gardener, and starting at a young age, Grady sold her homegrown vegetables to neighbors from his little wagon. She was also an executive secretary at Indianapolis’s premiere department store which may explain the origins of Grady’s life-long reputation as a clothes horse. Rose and Ray modeled many virtues for Grady like generosity. As a teenager, a woman hit Grady’s car while in traffic. Ray then took Grady to her home to ask her to pay for the damage but when they saw how little she had, they gave her money instead. And while Grady loved Rose and Ray, he always counted the days until Christmas when his Jackson family, including his four brothers and a sister, would visit. His nostalgia for special family memories at Christmas made it his favorite holiday for the rest of his life.
             Grady went to Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis where he played basketball and received a full scholarship to play for Newberry College in South Carolina. This is where he met the love of his life, Linda Shull of Lexington, SC. Late one night after a party, Linda and her friends were talking about the “cute Freshman from Indiana.” And one by one, each woman shared how he had asked her out on a date for the following week. But, no one stood a chance after his date with Linda, and they were married in June of 1961, the same month Grady graduated from Newberry and joined the Navy. Thirty years of adventures, moves, and deployments later, Grady retired as a one star Rear Admiral.
             After graduating from Officer Candidate School, he became a Naval Flight Officer at a time when electronic warfare (EW) was a new technology. His first plane was an EA-1F and he later trained as a bombardier/navigator. His peers gave him the call sign “Silver Fox” due to his good looks and prematurely grey hair. His early years in service took him and Linda to Alameda, CA where their son, Daniel Shipley, was born, then to Glenco, GA where their daughter, Christina Elizabeth, was born. The four moved to Coronado, CA and later to Virginia Beach, VA. This is where the family made fond memories of catching crabs, lazy Sundays at the beach, driveway basketball and camping at Lake Gaston.
             They were also the years when Grady was sent to war in Vietnam where he completed 179 combat missions over North Vietnam in the A6 Intruder. On November 28, 1972, Grady’s plane malfunctioned as it was catapulted from the aircraft carrier. Seven seconds later, Grady ejected through the canopy just before it crashed, killing the pilot who was the squadron commanding officer and his mentor. For the next 19 years, Grady joined others in advocating for dual ejection technology so that flight officers could eject themselves and others aboard a troubled aircraft. They suceeded. Every November 28th since 1972, Linda reminds the family how many years Grady has lived since the crash and calls it the family’s second Thanksgiving.
             For his valor during the war, Grady was awarded three Silver Stars, four Legions of Merit, eight Distinguished Flying Crosses and 14 Strike/Flight Air Medals. Grady was proud of his combat service but would testify that his greatest takeaway from war was a conversation with God that started while floating in the Tonkin Gulf that fateful November night. His cry for help and ultimate rescue was a moment of grace that grew over time into Grady’s deep personal faith in Jesus Christ. Often when Grady took command, he would make the rare move of publicly asking God’s blessing and protection over the mission and the people under his command. He also kept a “Miracle Log” from June of 1976 until January of 1990 with all kinds of stories from events that he felt were evidence of answered prayer or God’s protection.
             Grady transitioned from the A-6 Intruder to the EA-6B Prowler after Vietnam and his distinguished career in the Navy can be read in depth through the links on this tribute site. Highlights of his commands include: Commanding Officer VAQ-134 and VAQ-129; Director Electronic and Space Warfare at the Pentagon; Commander Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia; Commander Medium Attack and Electronic Warfare Wing Pacific, NAS Whidbey Island WA; and Commander Naval Base San Diego, CA.
             Grady played every imaginable sport while in the Navy and especially during his one year unaccompanied tour to the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Be it volleyball, basketball, softball, tennis, flag football, cycling or golf, he found sports to be a great way to interface with younger officers and enlisted personnel. Grady was active in the leadership of Officers’ Christian Fellowship and while stationed at the Pentagon, he and a fellow officer led a weekly Bible study for men who were serving time at nearby Lorton Federal Penitentiary.
             His last two assignments were after he was promoted to Rear Admiral, and it was especially rewarding for Linda and him to return once again to familiar faces at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island as Wing Commander. There were marathon multi-day holiday parties when active duty personnel, civilians and local dignitaries got a taste of Linda’s and his warmth and hospitality. His swansong assignment was as the unofficial “Navy Mayor” or Commander of Naval Base San Diego, a job that included living in the Navy’s beautiful home on Point Loma overlooking San Diego Bay. And after an incredible career, Grady retired on a sunny August day in 1991 at Balboa Park.
             Grady and Linda then moved back home to South Carolina and built a lakeside home near all three sets of parents. For the first decade, Grady continued sharing his expertise by serving on both military and non-profit boards and as an electronic warfare consultant. He also played A LOT of golf, and their annual couples’ golf trip with Navy friends was a beloved tradition of those years.
No matter where he lived, Grady was active in his local church and loved to study and teach the Bible. In 1998, Grady’s call sign changed from “Silver Fox” to “Papa” as the first of five grandchildren was born. He and Linda then moved to Pawleys Island, SC, and the grandchildren remember him fondly as the game-for-anything Papa who would go to the beach, swim in the pool, and get in the hot tub with them. As they grew older, he and Linda moved to the mountains of North Carolina where a waterfall just beyond the porch was the backdrop for many Rummikub and card games.
             Grady leaves behind a unique legacy and will be remembered by all who knew him as a joyful man of extraordinary kindness, grounded in deep faith. He will be especially missed by his wife of 64 years, Linda, son Dan and his wife Julie Lyderson-Jackson of Seattle, WA, daughter Chris and her husband Neil MacBride of Falls Church, VA and five grandchildren, Duncan, Charlotte, Soren, Alistair and Iris.
             Grady will be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia with a reception to follow, sometime in the first half of 2026. The date will be posted here as soon as it is scheduled by ANC.
             In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Grady’s love for people by donating in his name to The Friends of Barnabas Foundation, a healthcare non-profit working to heal, educate and empower families in Honduras. Grady was a board member in the early days of FOBF, founded by his dear friend Reverend Linwood Cook. www.fobf.org
Or, honor Grady’s love for Officers’ Christian Fellowship whose vision is the military community positively impacted through Christlike leaders. Grady was a long time council member and past president of OCF.  www.ocfusa.org
             
*To read a memoriam from the Prowler community, follow this link, www.ea6bprowler.org/index1.html
*To listen to Chris interview Grady at WAMU in Washington, DC as part of StoryCorps Veteran's week in 2022, follow this link: https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/christina-macbride-and-grady-jackson

Service Details

Grady will be buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia with a reception to follow, sometime in the first half of 2026. The date will be posted here as soon as it is scheduled, so please check back.

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