Jeanette D. Kalkines

KALKINES, Jeanette Driggers, 90, passed away Tuesday, November 25, 2014, in the loving arms of her family. Born Jeanette Driggers on June 2, 1924, in Savannah, Georgia, she moved to Jacksonville as a child and lived in the city for almost all of her life. Following her graduation from Robert E. Lee High School, she was one of only a very few women who volunteered for military service as a WAC in World War II. While serving as a surgical technician in Utica, New York, she met and later married Harry Kalkines and they eventually returned to Jacksonville where they raised their two children, Chris and Kathy in the Beacon Hills subdivision. She worked for many years for the Child Guidance Clinic and Riverside Anesthesia Services. Jeanette, or "Giagia" as she is affectionately known to the family, devoted her life to God, her family, and serving and helping others. For 54 years, she was a very active member of Terry Parker Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School, sang in two choirs, including the "Keenagers" group, and found her dearest lifelong friends. She was active in the Baptist Memorial Hospital Auxiliary for many years, serving as President in 1964. Giagia always had a smile for everyone and was loved by all who knew her. Even at the age of 86 when her health was failing, she volunteered, delivering meals by herself to residents at Pablo Towers in Jacksonville Beach, where she also lived for several years. Giagia was an avid fan of golf, tennis and the Jacksonville Jaguars, and she loved her Bingo games at the Clyde Lassen VA home. Jeanette was predeceased in death by her father Sherrod Driggers, mother Wilma Driggers, brothers Rodney and Malcolm, and her sister Elizabeth Scott. She is survived by her children Christopher T. Kalkines and Katherine (Mitchell) Rhodes, and her three grandchildren, Alex and Nicole Kalkines, and Alexis Rhodes. Also surviving is her sister-in-law Caroline Driggers, nieces, nephews, and friends. A memorial service will be held at Terry Parker Baptist Church at 10:00 am on Saturday, November 29, 2014.