Joan Elizabeth Youtz Jackson “Joanie,” beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. She was 96 years old.

Joanie was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 3, 1930 and spent her early years in Ohio with summers in her beloved lake house at Three Lakes, Wisconsin, with her Aunt Al and Aunt Dor.

Her love of reading and literature propelled her to Ohio State University, where she graduated in 1952 and to Stanford University, where was accepted as a master’s candidate in the English Department. There, she met Palmer Jackson and they were married in Menlo Park, California, on Nov. 13, 1954.

After living in Japan during Palmer’s Army service, Joanie and Palmer lived in Los Angeles for 10 years before settling down in Palmer’s hometown of Santa Barbara in 1968 at Featherhill Ranch.

The whole family always looked forward to the holiday events that Joanie coordinated – as many as 25 of us enjoying Christmas dinner at Featherhill, where all feasted on her homemade cheese puffs and persimmon pudding, or Easter brunch where Joanie was sure everyone had a chocolate bunny at their place at the table.

Her role as hostess was not just confined to the family as Joanie and Palmer hosted a legendary Christmas party for over 100 guests at Featherhill for more than 30 years.

Joanie’s interests were many. She was an avid tennis player and golfer, as well as a competitive bridge player.

She was an accomplished gourmet cook, and was exceptionally knowledgeable about wines and the different regions throughout Europe and California. She used this expertise to organize the menu and wine list at the family business, the Alisal Guest Ranch, putting local Santa Ynez wines on the menu at a time before the region had become as renowned as it is today.

Joanie’s keen understanding of interior design guided her 40 years of coordinating the look of the guest rooms and interior spaces at the Alisal, keeping everything consistent in her signature style of “Elegant Western.”

Joanie also had a passion for art, most notably with her interest in California Plein Air painting. She helped organize and build the popularity of the Valley Cub’s Arts Council, and was instrumental in the development of the club’s plein air collection.

Joanie was very active in the Santa Barbara community, serving on the boards of Cate School, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Casa Del Herrero.

She played a key role in helping Casa del Herrero achieve its national landmark designation and in helping to create a sustainable nonprofit organization to ensure the future of the Casa.

Joanie loved gardening, flowers and flower arranging. She was an ardent supporter of the Garden Club of Santa Barbara and won numerous awards for floral design and horticulture.

She served as president of the Santa Barbara Garden Club and as a regional director of the Garden Club of America, where she served as an approved national floral design judge. She much enjoyed spending time in her lathhouse, tending to her roses and growing things.

Joanie was a thoughtful conversationalist and made a point of trying to make people comfortable, especially those who might feel out of place at a dinner party or other large social event.

Her warmth and wit will be missed by all who knew her. If there were a list of “Grand Dames” of Santa Barbara, her name would be on it, if not at the top.

Even after a serious fall in 2024 took away some of her abilities, Joanie still would light up with a big smile when family or friends would visit and she continued to be curious about what was happening in their lives.

The family wishes to thank the entire staff at the Casa Dorinda Medical Center for providing the best possible care for Joanie for the last 2 1/2 years of her life. They all helped to make the best of a difficult situation.

Joanie is survived by her husband of 71 years, Palmer; her four children CJ (Mary), Jim (Chana), Palmer Jr. (Susan), and Patti (Bill); as well as 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Memorial services are being planned and will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Casa Del Herrero Foundation, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art or the Garden Club of Santa Barbara.