Jacqueline Ruth Shellington

The only person allowed to call Jackie “Jacqueline” was her mother… and occasionally her niece Brandi. Anyone else would get “the look” that would quell them into submission. Jackie was a fiercely brilliant, stubborn, wonderfully generous, sassy firecracker who dedicated her life to making the world a better place for the lost and lonely. In the early morning of July 23rd, God decided that it was time to bring his soldier back home to heaven after a fierce battle with that scourge, the Cancer. She loved teaming up with her sister Martha to beat her nephew Todd in trivia, traveling to the far ends of the world with her family, and reading piles and piles of books. She was active with her church and was a Walri in the Krewe of Artemis. After working as a social worker in Galveston at University of Texas Medical Branch, she moved back to Louisiana and soon became the Director of the Immunological Support Program at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center where she ran St. Anthony’s Home, an assisted living residence for people disabled by HIV/AIDS. She ran the home with love, compassion, and a no-nonsense attitude. Jackie was a social worker’s social worker, mentoring emerging professionals and affecting the profession on local and state levels. She taught social work at the master and undergraduate levels, most recently at Our Lady of the Lake College for 12 years. She was appointed by the governor to the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners and served as its chair before continuing to serve on several legislatively established task forces and commissions, served on two committees to help refine the Louisiana Social Work Practice Act. She also was the Complaints Consultant for the Louisiana Board of Social Work Examiners from 2012 until her death. She was active in the Louisiana and Texas chapters of the National Association of Social Workers and was President Elect of the NASW-LA Board of Directors from 2000-2001 and President in 2001-2002. She served as chair of the Health Committee from 2002-2004 and was an active member of the national Health Specialty Certification Workgroup from 2002-2003. In 2008 she received their prestigious Sunny Andrews Award for Outstanding Commitment to Social Work Regulatory Board Service. She also was active with other boards including the HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two (HAART), Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless (CAAH), the LA Commission on HIV/Aids and Hepatitis C, and the Gulf Coast Texas HIV Consortia for Ryan White Funds. She dedicated her life to helping those with the greatest need. She grew up in Baton Rouge with her parents John and Edith Shellington, her big brothers Charles and David, and little sister Martha (and Martha’s husband Mike). She attended Baton Rouge Lutheran School, Glasgow Middle, and Lee High before going off to LSU for a B.A. in English Literature and a Master of Social Work from the LSU School of Social Work. She is adored by her nieces Brandi Murry, D’Shea Yuslum, Dorian Hess, and Samantha Hess, their spouses Todd Murry and Greg Yuslum, by her great-nieces and nephews Brandon (and his wife Nicole), Chase, Aiden, Meredith, Kayla, Alyssa, and Jana, great-great-nieces and nephews Michael, Mary Alice Betty, Nathan, Sophia, Caden, Ayden James, and Isabella and by her extended family Dottie, Ginny, Lexie, Dolly, Doug, Shelley, and the caretakers at St. Anthony’s Home. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, and 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2016, at the Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church at 3235 Dalrymple Drive. Funeral services will be held at the chapel on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. with internment at Greenoaks Cemetery at 9595 Florida Blvd. All are welcome to come celebrate her life. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to St. Anthony’s Home or Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church. The family wishes to thank Dr. Cotaldo, Dr. Skoulidas, Dustin, Antoinette, Alyse, and all the nurses and staff of Our Lady of the Lake, Mary Bird Perkins, and MD Anderson. Jackie was an elegant soul whose passing has torn a hole in our world. Arrangements under the direction of Greenoaks Funeral Home, Baton Rouge, LA.