When GraVoc first started out in the early 1990s there were only a handful of employees. One of those employees was Bill “Action” Jackson. Bill was a hardworking employee who would do anything to help his friend Dave Gravel get his new business, GraVoc Associates, off the ground. When GraVoc grew in size enough to hire full time employees, Bill was one of the first people who was hired. As Owner Dave Gravel stated, “Bill is a good and loyal friend. He worked with us for many years in both sales and customer service. Bill always had a smile on his face, and a great sense of humor, and was willing to do whatever we needed to get the job done.”
About 7 years ago, Bill was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s and has been fighting the disease ever since. While the disease has been a challenge for both Bill and his family, much like he always did at GraVoc, Bill faces every challenge with a sense of humor and a big heart. This past Sunday, GraVoc owner Dave Gravel and his wife Cathy, walked as a part of Bill’s team to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Pictured here, Bill is holding the symbolic blue flower in front of his tribute poster. The flower represents a person who is personally afflicted with the disease. The poster read “Bill Jackson walks because he can!”.
Dave noted, “I was never so touched as I watched him [Bill] and his family [his wife and caregiver, Charlotte, and his two sons Corey and Bill] walk together to support the fight against this disease. While his memory is being affected by his disease, I was beside myself when I saw him, he could not remember my name, and we were standing in front of the Kent Group building in Andover – I said, ‘Bill, we made many trips here in the early days, this is where the Kent Group was located.’ Thinking none of that would make any sense to him, he turned to me and said – ‘We bought a lot of Macola from those guys.’
GraVoc would greatly appreciate all of its customers, family and friends to keep our friend Bill Jackson in your prayers and thoughts. He is truly a fighter and has never lost his warm personality and smile. If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to, please consider supporting Bill Jackson & the Alzheimer’s Association.