Jacquelyn Mary Smargiassi

Jacquelyn Mary Rich Smargiassi, who loved the Lord Jesus with her whole heart and always put love at the center of her life, was called to heavenly rest on Valentine's Day. She passed away in peaceful rest and was surrounded by family, friends, prayer, and music in her final days.

To know Jackie, you must know the loves of her life: her husband, Michael; her son, Clifford; her chosen children, Jill, Stephen, Beverly, Martin, Patricia, Susan, and MaryAnn (who has left us). She delighted in family. Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandkids, great-grandkids, nieces and grand-nieces, nephews and grand-nephews: there was always enough love to share.

She was born to June Spofford Rich in central Massachusetts, and was joined a few years later by her dear brother, Joseph Rich, Jr., who has since passed. Other beloved Spofford/Rich family members include Stephen, Katherine, Marianne, Joanne, John, Emily, Fred, Anne, Janet, Irene, and Minnie, many of whom have gone on before her.

She attended Guardian Angel H.S. in upstate New York, where she earned her diploma and converted to Catholicism. Jacquelyn accepted a call to serve as a novitiate with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at Villa Loretto in Peekskill, NY. God's purpose lay elsewhere, however, and she left the convent in the mid-1960s to care for the infirm as a Certified Nurses' Aide. A few years later, she gave birth to her son, Clifford, whom she loved forever.

Jackie used her creative gifts in service to the glory of God and leaves behind copious notebooks filled with poetry, sketches, and paintings that reveal her truest self. And in the early 2000s, her truest self reconnected with a true companion, Michael. They found laughter and love in the bonds of holy matrimony in the solace of their northern New Jersey home.

To know her tender heart, you need only ask any of the thousands of patients she helped nurse to health. Or ask the toddlers she cared for at the various daycares where she worked. Ask the hundreds of marginalized people she nurtured through the Social Concerns ministries at her parish, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Ask the members of the Rosary Society (where she served as president) about the myriad souls she prayed for. Ask anyone who has heard her laugh or been on the other end of one of her infectious smiles or hugs. Ask any of them, and they'll all tell you the same thing: that Jackie was the loveliest.

In lieu of flowers, the family hopes you'll consider a donation to Sacred Heart Church (Bloomfield, NJ) or The Center for Family Life, (Attn: Abbie Kohomban, 443 39th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232).