Jacqueline Waldon Whitesides

1940 - 2025

Jacqueline Waldon Whitesides

March 13, 1940 - October 3, 2025

Somerville, Alabama - Jacqueline Waldon Whitesides, 85, of Somerville, Alabama, passed away Friday, October 3, 2025, with her head in the arms of her husband comforting her and her two loving children standing by her bed. Jacqueline was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Mattie Kate Waldon. She is survived by her husband, Roger Harold Whitesides, Jr.; daughter, Kathy McLean (Terry); son, Keith Whitesides (Ludis); and grandchildren, Stephanie, Andrew, and Roger McLean.

Jacqueline and Harold are current members of Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, SC and before that Weatherly Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville, where they were active with their children.

Jacqueline was born and grew up in Jonesboro, GA, graduating from Jonesboro High School as Valedictorian. She then earned an Industrial Engineering Degree from Georgia Tech. She met, dated and married Harold in 1960 and they were forever closely bonded for 65 years. After graduation, they moved to Florida where she performed statistical reliability studies for the RL-10 Rocket Engine at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Later she became a home manager raising her two children and taking care of estate matters with her husband for both sets of parents.

She enjoyed reading, wildflower gardening, travel and more. Without any background, she enthusiastically participated in her husband's interest in race cars, boats, motorcycles and aircraft. She accompanied him as copilot in high-speed racetrack runs, learned to drive high powered boats pulling skiers, learned to navigate river systems earning a Coast Guard certificate in Boating Skills & Seamanship and also completed an aircraft navigation course serving a navigator for the family plane piloted by her husband. Over the course of 15 years, she and Harold toured the entire West, New England and portions of Canada on a Harley, visiting parks, monuments and rallies.

Jacqueline was an accomplished person with an amazing memory for people, places and events. This enabled her to relate to new people she met throughout her life. She had an amazing memory for birthdays and wedding dates for a large number of friends. She was knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects and could be talking about cooking or wild-flowering one minute and talking about sports or cars the next.

Jacqueline was a people person, sensitive and responsive to the sorrows and needs of others. She was known and loved as a beautiful lady, genuine friend and loving family member. She easily made friends everywhere she traveled and lived and maintained lifelong friendships from all walks of her life. Mailing cards with special handwritten notes was a priority task for her. She will leave a huge void in her family's lives, but all know she has completed the race with much grace.

There will be no current services. A double graveside service will be held with her husband's in the future. Memorial gifts may be made to Matthew 25: Ministries (https://m25m.org/), or charity of choice.