Jacqueline Irma Haldeman

Jacqueline Haldeman was a strong and loving wife, mother and grandmother who lived a selfless and rewarding life. She dedicated her life to family and service as a civil servant and military spouse. Since her early childhood years, she faced a number of hardships and challenges which made her resilient and able to adapt to living a military lifestyle. Jacqueline will be missed but will continue to live in our hearts.

Jacqueline Irma (Pierrot) Haldeman was born August 13, 1931 in Givry-en-Argonne, located in the northeast of France. Her parents, Andree Marie (Collot) and Alcide Georges Henri Pierrot, had a wood working and metal business and were members of the French resistance during World War II, which placed the family’s safety at risk. As the family grew, Jacqueline, the oldest daughter, was sent to be raised by her grandparents, Marie and Jean Collot, in Verdun, France. She occasionally visited her parents, older brother and two younger sisters, except during WWII when they lived in separate regions controlled by the French and Germans. At the young age of 14, she suffered the tragic death of her father to an accidental drowning witnessed by her sisters. Over the years, Jacqueline studied to become a talented seamstress and worked in Verdun’s hospital kitchen where she learned to be an exceptionally good cook. In her 20s, she pushed herself to do more and was hired as a secretary at an American Army base in Verdun. There she learned English as a second language and where she met her future husband, John Haldeman, a corporal in the US Army.

Jacqueline and John married and a year later, Peggy was born before the family moved to the states, leaving her family and friends behind. When John was deployed to Korea, Jacqueline and Peggy returned to Verdun until John returned and the family moved to Germany, where Francine was born. In 1966, the family moved to Fort Bragg, NC, where John was deployed to Vietnam. This left Jacqueline to face the challenges of separation associated with a military lifestyle and raising their two daughters. After John’s return and rising in rank, the family moved to Fort Bliss, TX, and later, Ft Campbell, KY, before the family returned to Germany in 1978 when John was selected as Command Sergeant Major of a large battalion. Wanting more for herself, Jacqueline got a job in the motor pool preservation section, which supported various military war efforts, to include Operation Desert Storm. We were proud to say our mom wore steel-toe shoes and drove a tank.

Jacqueline stood by John’s side throughout his 30 years of military service and 24 years of civil service duty. After her retirement, she volunteered to help John support the families of service members seriously wounded, ill, and injured from Afghanistan and Iraq. She greeted families arriving at Frankfurt airport and accompanied them to Landstuhl’s Fisher House comfort home to be close to their loved ones at Landstuhl Medical Center who were not expected to survive the trip back to the states. Jacqueline also assisted her husband when a tour bus overturned in a ditch in France sending the American passengers to a French hospital. Jacqueline served as a translator with the French medical staff, military leadership and patients. In 2010, John and Jacqueline moved to Cary, NC, to be near Francine and Ron and their beloved grandson, Jonathan Kelley. In 2018, John passed away after 59 years of marriage, leaving Jacqueline to live alone in an active retirement community until 2020 when Covid forced her to live isolated from her family and friends. Despite the isolation and growing medical issues, she pushed through to being with her family once again, traveling to breweries and enjoying scenic car rides.

Jacqueline was a strong, resilient, humorous and loving person who loved to cook, garden and spend time with family and friends. She enjoyed a good laugh, glass of red wine and the occasional hard cider - like her father made. She liked to stay physically fit and mentally active. She rode her bicycle to grocery stores until her mid-80s.

Jacqueline is preceded in death by her husband, John Edward Haldeman, older half-brother, Jean Marcel Pierrot, and youngest sister, Pierette Keller. She is survived by her daughters, Peggy Ann Haldeman (and husband John Sturm), and Francine Haldeman Kelley (and husband Ron Kelley); grandson, Jonathan Kelley; and younger sister, Ginette Mueller (and husband George Mueller).

Jacqueline will be laid to rest with John at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of Flowers, please feel free to donate to the Fisher House Foundation, https://fisherhouse.org, or National Kidney Foundation, https://www.kidney.org.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be shared below within "Add a Memory" for the Haldeman Family.