The first woman to hold executive office in Glasgow's top Jewish welfare charity, Freda Jackson dedicated herself to helping people struggling in life.
Born Freda Jacobson, she lost her father as a child. Her widowed mother worked as a hairdresser while relatives helped care for her two small children. Freda left school early and became a skilled seamstress but read widely to further her education.
At 18 she met and married Morris Jackson, born Abram Jacubowicz in Poland. He had been released as a prisoner-of-war from a Soviet camp in 1941, joined the Free Polish Army and ended the Second World War in Scotland.
While bringing up her young family, Freda came into voluntary work in the late 1950s through an aunt distributing a large donation of plums to needy Jewish families. The work was based at the Glasgow Jewish Welfare Agency.
The chance mission launched Freda's lifelong vocation. She had an instinctive rapport with clients, staff and supporters. She cut her teeth on welfare management as vice-chairman of the newly formed ladies welfare committee in 1966, becoming chairman in 1975. In 1985 she was elected the first female vice-chairman of what was by now the Glasgow Jewish Welfare Board.
She was concerned in every aspect of her clients' problems, especially the infirm and elderly. She dropped anonymous envelopes with her own money through letter boxes, considering it an honour to serve her community.
In the 1970s and 80s she turned to housing. Playing a key role in the sheltered housing sub-committee, she was a founding member of the Housing Association, later the Jewish Housing Association, now Arklet Housing. She was also involved with the Scottish Counselling Association, Glasgow Corporation Volunteers' Bureau, Society of Social Services for Scotland and Glasgow Old People's Welfare Association.
In 1997, after over 30 years' service, she stepped down as joint chairman but stayed on as a director of the new Jewish Care Scotland, becoming vice-chair of the board and later vice-president. Her outstanding care for over 40 years was recognised with a special award by Age Concern Scotland in 2003 and Jewish Care Scotland in 2005.
A long-serving member of the Children's Panel, she stayed active despite ill-health in her last 10 years. She sat on a committee helping orphaned children in Israel and helped local MP Jim Murphy send East Renfrewshire school pupils to visit Auschwitz.
Attending this year's 150th anniversary celebrations of Jewish Care Scotland, she told volunteers about life when she started. "Poverty was accepted. Moving from the Gorbals to Shawlands was like moving to heaven."
Predeceased by her husband in 2007, she is survived by her daughter, two sons, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.