Jackie Marie "Suverly" Williams

Jackie Marie Williams

June 12, 1936 – October 22, 2025

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Jackie Marie Williams on October 22, 2025, at Lebanon Hospital in Oregon.

Jackie was born Olive Marie Suverly on June 12th, 1936 in Fort Rice, North Dakota, to George and Mary Suverly. She grew up alongside her siblings - brothers Ralph and Raymond, and sister Virginia. Jackie loved North Dakota and fondly recalled her childhood there of visiting relatives in Mandan, riding her horse to the one-room schoolhouse, and helping her father on the family farm.

At age 17, Jackie traveled with her dad and Uncle John to Oregon seeking a new home for their families. Through relatives, she settled in Seattle, Washington, as a nanny for a young family.

Looking to broaden her horizons, she joined the US Women's Army Core in 1955 and trained at Fort McClellan, Alabama, where she changed her name from Olive to Jackie. She was stationed at The Presidio, California, where she was a Private E1 and worked in a medical clinic.

There she met and married Normand G. Schoening in 1956, the father of her 6 children. While raising her kids, she lived in Germany and 5 different states. After divorcing Normand in 1977, she briefly remarried.

In 1988, Jackie attended Chemeketa Community College in Salem earning a degree in Drug and Alcohol Counseling with honors in 1990. She worked at Center for Living which served multiple counties for 13 years where she found great fulfillment in helping others. She retired in 2003.

Jackie loved the history and beauty of The Dalles and the Columbia Gorge. She enjoyed taking drives along the river and sharing those adventures with her children and grandchildren - often hiking rocky trails and discovering new places together. She was involved in the Wasco County Historical Society, Master Gardeners, and founded a branch of the Tea Party in The Dalles.

In 2016, Jackie moved to Lebanon, Oregon to be closer to family. She enjoyed taking walks with her dog, exploring her new surroundings, and spending time with loved ones.

Jackie was preceded in death by her oldest son Kenneth "Kenny" Schoening, her parents George and Mary Suverly, brothers Ralph and Raymond Suverly, and her children's father Normand Schoening.

She is survived by her daughters Cheryl Knight and Carol Houk; sons Norm, Paul, and Mark Schoening; 12 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren; and sister Virginia Ashmeller.

Services will be held at 11am, Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Huston-Jost Funeral Home, 86 West Grant Street, Lebanon, Oregon.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Jackie's memory through acts of kindness toward others.