Jacquelyn "Jackie" Lennette

1938 - 2006

Jacquelyn "Jackie" Lennette passed away Friday, Nov. 17, 2006, after a lengthy illness. She died at Los Robles Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, with her loving husband by her side.

Jackie was born Aug. 15, 1938, in Alton, Ill., to the late Leonard and Marie (Blessant) Gross.

Jackie was a 1956 graduate of Marquette High School and completed training as a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing in Alton. She entered the Army Nurse Corps in February 1960 as a 2nd lieutenant and after orientation training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, she served at Fort Sill, Okla., and then in Korea for 14 months. After returning to the United States, Jackie was stationed at the U.S. Army General Hospital at Valley Forge, Pa., where she was promoted to the rank of captain. She met her future husband and love of her life, E. Paul Lennett, while attending the Army nurse career course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. After completing the course, she was assigned to the 21st Evacuation Hospital in Germany. After his return from Vietnam, she and Paul Lennett were married on May 28, 1966, in Augsburg, Germany. After their honeymoon, she was reassigned to the 2nd General Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where her husband was assigned as supervisor of hospital clinics. She resigned from the Army in February 1967, pending the birth of her first child, Michael, in March. She then spent her time caring for her family (her husband and another son and daughter), first in Iowa, where she was active in the children's activities, especially soccer and scouting. She also was active in her church and served as the school nurse. In 1990, she moved with her family to Thousand Oaks and was employed as a nurse in the inpatient and outpatient surgical unit at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center. She retired in 2002 and, although ill, continued working as a volunteer at the hospital.

She was a thoughtful, gracious and elegant lady and was well-liked by all who knew her. She was highly regarded for her nursing skills by her colleagues and for her cheerful, upbeat demeanor. She was a loving, thoughtful, patient and ever-forgiving wife and mother. She was a long-standing member of St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church.

In addition to her husband, she is also survived by her daughter Marie Lennette of Portland, Ore.; sons, Michael Lennette of Fenton, Mo., and Andrew and his wife Holly, along with their sons Cole and Owen of North Andover, Mass.; and three sisters and three brothers.

She was preceded in death by her in-laws, Dr. and Mrs. Edwin H. Lennette of Oakland, Calif.

Visitation was held Wednesday, Nov. 22 ,at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks. Funeral Mass was celebrated Friday, Nov. 24, at St. Paschal Baylon Church, during which a U.S. Army honor guard held a brief ceremony during which the American flag was presented to her husband, in honor of her service to her country. Jackie was cremated and her ashes were inurned at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo.

Memorial donations may be made to the Komen Foundation, 5005 LBJ Fwy, Ste. 250, Dallas, TX 75244.