Jackie Loucks was born in February, 1954 in Toronto, Canada, the youngest of six kids.  She was raised by a single mother and learned early on that the one who makes the most noise usually gets the others in trouble.  She was never quiet again, even in her sleep.  

She emigrated with her mother to the US when she was a teenager and lived in southern California during the blossoming of the hippie culture.  Born with a traveling soul, she took every opportunity for adventure and made new friends wherever she went.  The means of transportation were never an issue for her; she knew bus schedules like she knew her own phone number and would hitchhike without a second thought, if that's what it took to get her where she was going.  Sometimes, she didn't even know where she was going, but knew when she got there.

While on one of her adventures, she was picked up hitchhiking by a cute red haired boy.  The next chance she had, she called her mother back in California to tell her all about him, relaying to her that he must be very poor because "his pants were too short and his shirt had ripped up sleeves."  Jackie had met her first logger and was in love.  Jackie married Phil at the Hitching Post in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  He wore a flannel shirt that she made him and she wore a tissue paper corsage.

After a few years of living in Idaho while Phil logged seasonally in Alaska, Jackie decided that it was time the family lived together all the time.  April of 1981 found the family moving to Rowan Bay, Alaska with next to nothing (it all had to fit in a Cessna 185) and having no idea what they were in for.  Remote living was completely new to her, but she adapted and thrived.  More than one morning, while making Phil breakfast, she'd have to shoo bears off the front porch of the trailer.

After living in Anchorage, Port Alice, Rowan Bay and Coffman Cove, the family settled down in Petersburg.  Jackie worked many jobs during her 24 years here; bartender, cook, taxi driver and grocery checker just to name a few.  She was a fantastic cook and baker, was excellent at Jeopardy, could play a fierce game of pool and loved Scrabble.  Her greatest loves were her family and many, many friends.

Jackie died on July 30, after an 11 month battle with brain cancer.  Her treatments were debilitating, but her daughter Manda was with her every minute of every day, taking care of her and making sure that she had whatever she wanted to eat, even if that meant making a pie every single day.  Three weeks before she died, Jackie was admitted to Petersburg Medical Center, with their fantastic staff.  From the time she was diagnosed until she died, she had the most wonderful caregivers we could have asked for.

Jacquelene Marie Carli Loucks leaves behind her true love of more than 35 years, Phil.  Together they raised two sassy and independent daughters, Carli and Manda, who carry on the tradition set by their mother of never being quiet.  Mom was Nana to Clair, Jack and Cate Byrer, and loved to make cookies with them every chance she got.

We know that she's up there with "Brother Mike", throwing horseshoes and tending to the chickens, and that makes it much easier to bear. 

A BBQ potluck will be held at 104 Mukluk (Papke's) on Saturday, August 11th starting at around 3pm.  If it's raining, know that she's just keeping the flowers wet and come out anyway.