Neil W. Jackson

Dec. 15, 1951 – March 2, 2025

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 21, 2025

St. Henry’s Catholic Church

346 NW 1st St., Gresham OR 97030.

Neil Jackson passed away at Kaiser Sunnyside hospital in Portland on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025.

Neil was a beloved trial lawyer for 46 years and a fearless advocate for those less fortunate. He dedicated his life to righting wrongs and fighting for justice for all Oregonians.

Neil was born in Dallas, Texas. His family moved to Coalville, Utah, when Neil was 6 months old. His parents divorced and his mother was left with five children to raise on her own. At the age of about 6, Neil was sent to live with his grandfather where he learned all the daily chores of farm life – milking cows twice a day, riding and breaking horses, herding sheep and digging ditches. He returned to his mother’s home when he was 13.

He attended North Summit Middle School and High School. During these years he worked on a neighbor’s mink ranch. His chores included feeding mink, cleaning their cages and skinning their pelts. In high school, Neil showed his colors as a stubborn fighter. A fellow student was expelled for getting a girl from another school pregnant. Neil stood up to the student council at his school on behalf of the male student. The council would not change the school’s morals clause but –after a standoff – the student officers agreed to change the clause so no future students would be expelled for a similar action. The student in question was not reinstated but a compromise was reached and Neil got a taste of tough negotiations.

Three days after his high school graduation in 1970, Neil moved to Portland to attend Portland State University. While at PSU, he served as president of Portland Student Services, a nonprofit that runs all university housing at PSU. In the early 70s, Oregon had no legal protection for tenants. Neil lobbied in Salem with others for the Oregon Residential Landlord Tenant Act, to help protect tenants’ rights. Also during college, Neil helped form the Portland Actors Ensemble, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that still performs Shakespeare plays every summer in Portland and all over Oregon.

Following his graduation from PSU, Neil enrolled in law school at Lewis and Clark. He passed the bar in 1978. He helped organize Oregon Lawyers for the Arts. At the time, artists had no protection from galleries that would display their work, sell it and never pay the artist. He and his group lobbied for and succeeded in getting an artist consignment bill passed. It provided protections for artists who place their work on consignment with galleries and other businesses.

Around this time, Neil was elected to the board of directors of Portland Saturday Market. The Eugene Saturday Market, Oregon’s original Saturday market, was broke and about to go under. Neil and the Portland board approved a loan to keep it going.

In the 1980s, Neil joined the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. In 2003, he was appointed to the OTLA Board. He was also appointed as co-chair of OTLA’s Motor Vehicles Section. Neil spearheaded OTLA’s motor vehicles legislation beginning in 2004 participating in the passage of over twenty pro-consumer auto insurance bills. He spent six legislative sessions (12 years) lobbying for an insurance “get-what-you-pay-for” bill, to allow injured motorists to access their uninsured motorist coverage on top of the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, providing critical assistance to victims of severe car crashes. This made certain that victims receive their personal injury protection coverage first. The break-through legislation became law in March 2016.

Neil consistently demonstrated a passion for clients’ needs and a dedication to advancing the cause of fairness and justice for Oregonians. In 2014-15, Neil was elected and served as OTLA president. In 2016, OTLA named Neil a recipient of its annual Public Justice Award, in honor of his hard work at the Legislature on behalf of Oregon consumers.

His many friends in the Oregon legal and political communities lovingly called Neil “Bubba”. He was rarely seen without his signature cowboy hat and bolo tie. He had the ability to charm the birds from the trees with the sparkle in his eye and lightning quick wit.

In 2008, Neil met the love of his life, María del Pilar Gámez. They were married in August 2009.

Neil is survived by Maria. He is also survived by his siblings Vicki Rae Fronk, Tina Lee Holliday, Kim Brown, Randy B. Jackson and Tod Gail Spendlove. He left behind three children, Michelle Jackson Britton, Santiago Guzman Gámez and Carina Guzman Gámez.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Wallace Neal Jackson, Eloise Clark Jackson and his beloved stepfather Peter Gail Spendlove.

Inurnment will be at 2 pm at Forest Lawn Cemetery, 400 SW Walters Dr., Gresham.

Donations can be made in Neil’s memory to St. Vincent de Paul, P.O. Box 42157, Portland, OR 97242-0157.