Melvin James Earl Jackson was born on December 29, 1942 in Lorlie, SK to William and Mary Jackson. Mel, the third in a family of four, was born a small little runt. Many were surprised to see this wee lad grow up to be an athletic, strapping teenager and later, a strong, solid, hardworking man. Mel grew up in the small village of Abernethy, SK where excitement was very scarce; therefore, he felt obligated to become the entertainment the town lacked and began causing all kinds of mischief. When Mel was young, he worked various jobs in the small community, such as washing dishes at his mom’s café, piling seed bags at the elevator, assisting at the Balcarres Vet Clinic and working for local farmers. These odd jobs provided Mel with enough money to play sports and buy the necessary equipment. His love of sports took him to the Abernethy ball diamond, where he could be found squatting behind home plate proudly wearing his Abernethy Angels uniform. It did not take long for Mel’s back-catching abilities to be noticed, and before long his name appeared on many town rosters. When the snow began to fall, his cleats were replaced by worn-out skates. No matter the temperature, Mel would spend long hours on the dugout or in the Abernethy arena. His defensive play gave him the opportunity to play with many teams before being scouted by the Melville Millionaires in 1958/1959. His time with Melville would soon catch the attention of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who would later hold his rights. You can imagine the excitement in Abernethy when the town folks learned “their boy” was now wearing a "C" on his Melville jersey. When age no longer allowed Mel to play in the juniors, he started working for Doug Trapp of Balcarres and began his career as a truck driver.

On July 15, 1967, Mel married Colleen Sabiston in Regina, SK. In 1968 the newlyweds relocated to Saskatoon where their oldest daughter, Barbara, was born. Three years later, Mel and Colleen packed up and moved to Kamloops, BC where the booming economy promised jobs galore. In 1973, their second daughter, Laureen, was born. While in Kamloops, Mel found himself once again in the hockey highlights, but this time as a coach for the local Pee Wee team.

In December of 1974, the family moved back to Saskatchewan and settled in Esterhazy. It is here that Mel began driving truck for Kleysen Transport. In 1976 Mel and Colleen opened the very first convenience store in Esterhazy, where Mel helped out when he was not behind the wheel. Once again he began coaching and could often be seen strapping his skates on to play with the Esterhazy Old Timers.

In 2008 Mel and Colleen began to prepare for retirement and purchased a small acreage near Lemberg. In October 2011, Mel finally closed his log book for the very last time after 52 years behind the wheel. It was after retirement that he met his good buddy, Lawrence Featherstone. It did not take long for this to grow into a treasured friendship.

On February 26, 2014, Mel’s life was drastically changed as he said goodbye to his beautiful wife of 46 years. Mel found comfort in his family and friends and kept busy driving all over the province to cheer on the grandchildren at their sporting events and various activities. He could often be found at the local coffee shop laughing and socializing with those of the community. He enjoyed putting on miles with either Lawrence or his black lab Willy riding shotgun.

Mel leaves to cherish his memory: his daughters Barb (Wayne) Mountain and Laureen Jackson (Chris Hall); grandchildren Meleody and Tyler Mountain; Jaycie, Kaeden and Clay Krupski; Kegan, Addison and Linden Hall; sister-in-law Heather (Ross) MacQueen; sister-in-law Vel Samletzki; best friend Lawrence Featherstone, plus numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, close friends, and of course his black lab, Willy.