In loving Memory of MS Jackie Whitaker

[Blossom/Jackie W.]

This is me with my "thinking Cap" (just click on each of the images for a larger view)


My DH and Buddy the Dog doing their thing....




Our Grandchildren (From L to R) Gabrielle, Alex, Riley, Reagan



Our Daughter Stacy (mother of Gabrielle & Alex)



Our son Ben and DIL Shannon (This is an older picture...couldn't find a more recent one that was handy) They're Reagan & Riley's parents



They're all pleased to "meet you"

[bobbioh]

Good morning my friends. Its with a heavy heart I must deliver this news. Our fearless leader Jackie has had a turn for the worse. Her C had doubled over last year. And moved to the lining of her lungs.
She had 2 wonderful active weeks of feeling great! Before the turn to the worse. She opted out of treatment. She is now on Palitive care at home and the family has been called in she is comfortable.
This is very sad news. Let's please respect their privacy. Dave will keep in touch and keep us updated.
And I'm sure he will read your thoughts to her from the forum
I love Jackie like a sister. She has helped me and Don thru many close calls. Go peacefully my dear friend I'll meet you on the other side!

[stacy]

Jul 7, 2014 14:58:54 GMT -5 dray said:

On Behalf of Ms Jackie, I must share the latest with you all. We had to take Blossom to the ER on Saturday evening due an extreme SOB. It is with a truly saddened heart I must share, Blossom has succumbed to her ongoing battle with COPD/cancer and has been placed on palliative care in our home, she is most comfortable and supported by Ben and Stacy who arrived from Georgia, family members, my fire department folks and assisted by the kind staff of the COPD Inspire Program here in Halifax.

I am sure her place in heaven is being prepared, that will honor her mission of helping you and the COPD community live and get the best out of "living with COPD".

We will let you know when she has completed her journey.

Thank you all for the unending support and prayers you have given both Jackie and I over the years

Dave Raymer

[hugahusky]

This was posted by Jackie's daughter a few minutes ago:


My name is Stacy and I am Jackie (Blossom's) daughter. I wanted to share that my mom passed away a little bit ago. My mom absolutely loved this forum and the community, support and comfort it has provided so many over the years. On behalf of my family I would like to thank you for all the years of generous love and time you have shared with both my mom and Dave. I am heartbroken to say goodbye to my mom, but tremendously proud of the mark she made on so many.



I will post funeral arrangements in the next day or so.



Breathe easy, mommy. I will miss you so much.



Stacy

[Colleen-Pa]

May she rest in peace, she was such an icon, I pray all of you will be OK after a while, she was pretty sick but she fought till she just couldn't fight anymore. I met her probably a good 10 years ago and she was such a tremendous help to many~~ May she rest easy and God bless her family~~

[sask5]

My deepest sympathies are with Jackie's family in this time of sorrow. Jackie was a fine lady, a friend to many and will not be forgotten. Rest easy Jackie. The fight is over

[missfortune]

It is hard to find words to express my feelings of sorrow and sympathy. My prayers are for the family to find peace during this time of loss. God bless you and hold your Mom in his arms, missfortune

[John]

Stacy ;Thank You for the sharing of Jackie's passing. Having known her from the first day and then working with her over the years has been a rewarding experience that I'll never forget. This is one of our early avatars . I 'm sure you will remember this and appreciate it . Jackie used to call us her angles that how "Jackies Angels" got started  Attachment Deleted th_candlewithfire .
May your family find comfort in the knowledge that she was loved by many .

[David]

Saying prayers for the family. Jackie was a great help to me. I know she is in a good place now.

Although it's difficult today to see beyond the sorrow, May looking back in memory help comfort you tomorrow. ~Author Unknown

[cheryl]

I was so sorry to read this. My prayers go out to Jackie's family.

[sue]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Your mom was such a help to so many people, may you take comfort in that.

[maryaz]

I don't have a lot to say right now. The only reason I was on the forums was because I was notified by email of another person's passing. I was about to sign off and I saw a post on CI about Jackie. OMG I am shocked. I know she has been having problems a long time.

Dave, my heart goes out to you at this difficult time. I have not been on forums. Been on hospice for over two years. Still dealing with it.My sincere condolences to all the family and friends that are feeling this loss.
 

[Deborah]

My deepest condolences to all the family.

[pippy]

I am so sorry for your loss .

[sandy07]

Such a great loss. It will take some time to realize that she's not here..............Yet she is. She's here in Spirit. She has a strong, loving, joyful spirit that when it comes to sit on your shoulder some lonely night you'll know it's her.

[bobbioh]

Jackie I love you and miss you. Rip I'll meet you at the cross roads.

[chrocary / Jane]

May Jackie rest in peace. To her loving family including those of us in this forum, keep your memories close and know she is now breathing easy. She will be missed.


Jane

[aero63]

RIP Jackie

You were greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

Keep the light on for us.

[Vic]

Jackie -- God Bless you . . . I will miss you terribly. You were there when I needed help and it really did help. I will pray for you and Dave and your wonderful family. I miss you so bad already but you're going to a place where you will be feeling better, you've earned a fine reward up there. -- Love, Vic

[dray]

Whitaker-Raymer, Jacqueline H. “Jackie” - Age 60, of Williamswood, Nova Scotia, passed away July 7, 2014 peacefully at home surrounded by family. Born in Waverly, Nova Scotia; she was daughter of the late Eva and Norris Quesnel. Jackie was founder, Webmistress and President of COPD Canada Patient Network (focusing on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) www.copdcanada.ca. She was the administrator of “COPD in Canada” – An Open Public Patient Forum (peer to peer) and was a successful entrepreneur and former business woman in both Canada and the United States. She was a mother, grandmother and severe COPD and lung cancer patient living/working in Nova Scotia. A former writer, she was a member of the Canadian Author’s Association. Ms. Jackie loved fishing, gardening and photography. Her total passion for helping other people was her life’s gift, continuing in her efforts to assist other COPD patients through her international acclaimed network. What she held most dear and precious were her immediate family and close friends. Ms. Jackie is survived by her loving husband and partner, David Raymer; daughter, Stacy Brooking (Whitaker); son, Ben Whitaker and wife Shannon; grand children, Alex, Gabrielle Brooking, Riley and Reagan Whitaker; sisters, Eva and Audrey and brother, Barry. She was predeceased by brothers Wilfred, Wayne and Bryan. Arrangements are under the care of J. A. Walker Funeral Home (2005) Ltd., 149 Herring Cove Road, Halifax (477-5601), where visitation will take place on Wednesday, July 9 from 7-9 PM. A service celebrating Jackie’s life will be held on Thursday, July 10 at 2 PM from the funeral home chapel, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jackie may be made to the Inspire Program of the QEII Foundation in Halifax, N.S. Words of comfort may be sent to the family by visiting, www.walkerfh.com

[Dave AB]

Jackie meant so much to so many. She was one of a kind and will be missed by all.

[arlenefl]

My sincere condolences to Jackie's family and friends - she left too soon and will be missed by many. RIP Jackie

Arlene

[John]

I was trying to come up with something comforting for our members to ease there sorrow during this time of loss .
I was sitting here pondering when I remembered this post written by MS Jackie back in 2012. You all are well aware that Jackie left nothing to chance or happenstance and covered all bases! I do believe this to be as timely now as it was then .
Easy breathing,
John Eastland


22 Jul 2012 at 1:02pm QuoteEditlikePost Options Post by Blossom/Jackie W. on 22 Jul 2012 at 1:02pm

I think many of us are feeling the loss of another family member/friend. I know that I am. And it's never easy is it?

We're getting older. Even if we were of the healthier part of the population, we'd still see our friends, and sometimes biological family members pass away. With "getting older," sometimes the losses seem more frequent before even adding COPD.

It's simply the way it is for every living thing.

We sometimes have "co-morbidities" (personally I dislike that word BUT; that's what it is)...... Additional health problems; beyond this disease.... Again; that's what can happen to anyone as we get older.


So; what "depicts" getting older? In my mind two of those things is.... hearing about "friends" our age that have passed away (regardless of the reason) and.... reading the obituaries in the paper to see if we recognize any of the names.

Think about it.... you don't do that when you're younger!

JustBill; didn't die "because of" COPD. He had numerous health issues. Neil; didn't die because of "COPD" per se; he had health issues as well and frankly, according to Priscilla; he just couldn't get beyond the GI bleed. Yes our disease weakened him/them in every regard. MaryAZ's hubby Joe; didn't die "because of" COPD. He didn't have it. He had cancer that he'd battled for several years.... Mary's the one with COPD and she's still in there doing battle!

Just under 5 years ago I almost died a couple/few times. Seven weeks in the hospital; 6 weeks on a ventilator. It wasn't COPD that put me there. It only added to the challenges.

So; do we stop reading the newspaper or watching TV? Look at the terrible tragedy just recently in Colorado or the wars, or the terrible things in Syria; even China.

Nothing in common though. Right? It's "somewhere else," Unless it's a direct connection that you're involved with.

We can't blame everything on COPD. But; it's what primarily brings us all together here....

Now; we can be ostriches and hide our head in the sand, wring our hands and run from it. Too close to home after all. We can burn out; which is what happens to may COPDer's after a number of years on the forums/boards; and; sadly; we lose many friends over time because of those co-morbidities and...... COPD.

Like those above; and the ones before them, and; the ones after me/you/us. It's the nature of things.

Each passing of a friend, family member or Network member hurts me terribly. It hurts all of us. But; what do we do with that hurt? Become a hermit? Because that's what it would take. Cutting yourself off from the world.... That would benefit no one.

I don't know about you but I can't wallow and allow myself to go into that terrible abyss. I'd lose you; and; I'd lose myself..... And I'm not ready to do that. Are you?

You're here, you're reading...... that says you aren't ready either.

So; we'll continue to share; the good, the bad. the ugly; the defeats, the challenges.

Just like we'll continue to celebrate those many accomplishments we make. Walking a few more feet or minutes, not panicking when we do something, getting to the store on our own, the first time we venture own with oxygen in public. Whether to others they may seem small or trivial; we'll know they're major because we understand and.... we have a place, and friends to share.

Easy Breathing,
Jackie Whitaker

[Deborah]

John: thank you so much. I was trying to remember this, too. It was so moving when I first read it and now it is even more poignant. And somehow it provides a hint of peace as we face this terrible loss.

[hugahusky]

Thanks John for reposting her article. I had never seen it as I was in the hospital at the time she wrote and I guess I never got caught up.

[David]

Thanks for posting. I had never seen it either.

[LindaNY]

My sincere condolences to the family. Jackie and I go back a long time. Over the years we had a lot of laughs and a lot of tears . May she rest in peace, she deserves it.

[LindaNY]

Thanks John, It was touching then and is now.

[Colleen-Pa]

Thanks John, lots o good points there~we're allowed to mourn but try to pull through and remember the good also~most who pass wouldn't want their loved ones giving up on life because their no longer here. God Bless ~~

[peter]

My deepest sympathies are with Jackie's family in this time of sorrow. She will be missed.