Jacqueline Wheeler Schurman (Jackie)
June 16, 1945 - June 24, 2022
Born in Pasadena, CA to Chester Clarence Wheeler and Louise Small Wheeler, Jackie Schurman (nee Wheeler) spent a happy childhood in Altadena, enjoying frequent family outings to ski, hike, sail, and swim. She graduated from Pasadena High School in 1963 and from University of Colorado Boulder in 1967 with a degree in Physical Therapy.
Jackie's adult life included raising three children and living with her family in several states as well as abroad in Panama, Germany, Cote d'Ivoire, and China with the U.S. Department of State. She called home to the pacific NW to Bainbridge Island, Kingston and Bayview retirement home in Seattle. She was passionate about helping people, especially volunteering her physical therapy skills with disabled children and adults. She often designed and built innovative adaptive devices from locally available materials, allowing the users to participate more fully in their lives. In 1998, she was 1 of 5 recipients of the Association of American Foreign Service Women's Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. She had the uncanny ability to start a conversation with just about anyone and loved to learn about different cultures. She was an inspiration to explore new places, even when not knowing the language, there were no maps or named streets. Nature helped her recharge. She was the family genealogist, authoring a book on her grandparent's life in China in the early 1900s.
Jackie will be loved and missed by sister, Janet; brother, "Ted" Edwin (Crystal); daughter, Kristi; 2 sons, Eric (Grace) and Mark (Soojin); 2 grandchildren Zoe, Allie; and ex-husband Don.
Jackie died on June 24, 2022 in Seattle, WA after a long journey with Alzheimer's. She was 77.
