Jacqueline Whalen Miekka

Jacqueline Anne Whalen Miekka, 68, a cherished mother, psychologist, and friend, passed away peacefully on December 8, 2025, in Houston, Texas, surrounded by her two daughters. Jacquie led a life filled with compassion, gratitude, and joy.

Jacquie was born on May 16, 1957, in New York, New York, to Robert Patrick Whalen and Jacqueline Anne Offer. She grew up in Commack, New York, with her three siblings, Doreen Anne, Linda Mary Anne, and Robert Francis. She spent her adolescence babysitting all the kids in the neighborhood and biking up and down the Long Island Sound. She graduated as salutatorian from Holy Family Diocesan High School in 1975.

Name a university, and Jacquie probably either went there or taught there. She attended John's Hopkins University and earned her B.A. in Psychology and Gerontology from Iona College, her M.A. in General Psychology from SUNY Buffalo, her doctoral internship in Medical Psychology from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Catholic University of America (CUA). She taught at Rutgers University, CUA, Houston Community College, BCM, and University of St. Thomas in Houston.

While attending CUA, Jacquie met the love of her life in her classmate, Carl Henry Miller Miekka. She was a teaching assistant, and Carl “had no idea what he was doing.” Fast friends, they fell in love, pursuing degrees in psychology and sharing a desire to serve overlooked populations. Jacquie and Carl were married at The Elephant Hotel on July 17, 1987, in Somers, New York. They lived in Takoma Park, Maryland, while working at National Children's Center of Washington, D.C.

Jacquie and Carl then moved to a place no one in their families had ever gone before, Texas, to help establish The Brookwood Community, a vocational residential community for adults with special needs. From 1987 to 2004, Jacquie served there as a residential home teacher and psychiatric liaison. She launched her private practice in 1993, where she treated hundreds of patients until the end. In 2002, Jacquie co-created the Violence Prevention and Anti-Bullying Initiative and Conference and was then named Psychologist of the Year by the Houston Psychological Association.

Jacquie and Carl's true calling in life was to become parents. They welcomed their “two roses,” daughters Cara Rose in 1993 and Shannon Rose in 1998. Jacquie filled their lives with music, from improvising silly songs to educating them on the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen. A third rose came along in 2024 in Jacquie's granddaughter, Winona Rose, her greatest joy in recent years.

Jacquie is survived by her two daughters, Cara Campbell and Shannon Miekka; her son-in-law, Ian Campbell; her granddaughter, Winona Rose Campbell; her siblings, Doreen Murray, Linda Sandell, and Robert Whalen; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Carl Henry Miekka, and her parents, Robert Patrick Whalen and Jacqueline Anne Whalen.

A memorial service will be held on January 31, 2026, at Rice Memorial Chapel in Houston, Texas. In lieu of flowers, her daughters request donations be made to The Brookwood Community.