She was predeceased, in 1989, by her husband of 41 years, John James Armstrong and then also in 2003, by her son, James Carle Armstrong.
Jackie is survived by her son, Jeffrey Armstrong and her daughter, Judi (Ray) Skyles. She is also survived by 3 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren with one more on the way in April. There are also many nieces and nephews too numerous to count.
Jackie worked for 30 years for Metro Transit as an employment and training clerk. But, her greatest joy was her family.
Jackie passed away, after some illness at her home in Seattle on January 12, 2012.
Services for Jackie were held at Acacia Funeral Home on Sunday, January 16, 2012.
Arrangements under the direction of Acacia Memorial Park & Funeral Home, Seattle, Washington.
Tribute for Jackie Armstrong -
Leta Jacqueline Morland was born on Friday, August 15, 1920 in Garber, Oklahoma to Archie and Eva Morland. Jackie was of Welsh, Dutch and Irish heritage. Her mother died when Jackie was a baby and her father soon moved Jackie and her sisters Edith and Lucille to Freedom, Okalahoma. This is where Jackie attended elementary school. Archie remarried when Jackie was in her early teens and the Morland family would then make their home in Central City, Colorado where Jackie would graduate high school.
In 1938 Jackie moved to Texas to live with her married sister Edith. This was followed by yet another move to Brainerd, Minnesota in 1940 to live with parents of a friend. Jackie would make and keep many lifelong girlfriends from the town of Brainerd. It was an adventurous group of young women that decided that their future was more promising in Seattle, Washington. A big airplane company named Boeing was hiring and training dedicated women during WWII. Jackie would make her way west during the early 1940’s and become an electrician’s assistant working on the B-17s. She was laid off at the end of the war but always took great pride in her position with Boeing. When teased about being “Rosie the Riveter” Jackie would clearly respond, “No, I was an electrician’s helper”.
Soon after her layoff from Boeing, she was clerking downtown at Fredrick and Nelson’s Department Store. This is where she would make friends with a woman named Betty - who insisted upon introducing Jackie to her son, John. Betty Armstrong was about to become Jackie’s mother-in-law!
John and Jackie were married on June 6 1946 and would settle in the Bryant neighborhood of North Seattle. They were blessed with three beautiful children. Jim was born in 1948, Judi, in 1952 and Jeffrey in 1960.
Jackie was always a dedicated employee whether it was working in a clerical capacity for the state or being employed in the Human Resources Department for King County Metro Transit. Jackie belonged to the Bus Driver’s Union and was designated as a Three-Quarter Driver. She would retire in 1993 after proudly serving Metro Transit for 30 years.
But life wasn’t all work for Jackie. She loved being a mother, baking up her specialties of chocolate chip cookies, cakes and breads. She attended Unity Church, kept in touch with her adventurous, life-long girl friends and learned to knit and crochet. Jackie followed both the Mariners and the Super Sonics (now The Thunder). She idolized Ichiro and Apollo Ohno. In later years she would play Bingo and the slot machines with great passion. Jackie traveled on cruise ships to Alaska (twice) and the Caribbean (three times) as well as venture to the Panama Canal. And Jackie would independently take charter buses to Reno – sometimes without her children’s knowledge, claiming she really didn’t want them “following her around”! And in her quieter moments you would find her emailing family or watching Donnie Osmond on “Dancing with the Stars”.
Jackie embraced her role as “Auntie” to her beloved (and numerous) nieces and nephews and doted on her grandchildren. She adored her sisters and cherished family gatherings. Jackie savored her snuggle time with her kitties over the years, especially Smokey and Felix.
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