Jacqueline Charlotte McKay
Jackie McKay, of Moses Lake, Wash., passed peacefully on Friday, May 9, 2014, after battling brain cancer for more than 5 years. She was 75 years old and her longevity after diagnosis is a testament to both her strength of spirit and the strength of her family in their loving support.
Jackie was born on Sept. 18, 1938, in Ritzville, Wash.; the middle child in the farm family of George and Johanna Ils. She grew up and attended public schools in Ritzville graduating from high school there in 1956. She was active in 4H and was a varsity cheerleader.
She attended what was then, Eastern Washington State College and graduated earlier than her peers with a bachelor's degree in education in 1959. Unique for the time and rare by today's standards, Jackie was certified to teach at any level in K - 12 schools. She began her teaching career in Ione, Wash., in the fall of 1962.
It was at Eastern where she met her husband, Carl Martin Stolz, with whom she had four children, three daughters and a son, all of whom survive both parents.
In 1968, the family moved to Moses Lake, Wash., where both parents taught full-time. Jackie taught a gamut of business and office education classes and art during her tenure at Moses Lake High School. The marriage ended in divorce in 1977.
Jackie met another Moses Lake middle school teacher, Alan Edward McKay, who taught agricultural and industrial arts at Frontier Middle School and later moved to the high school, too. The couple wed in 1979 and blended a new family with Alan having two children from a previous marriage. They made their home in Cascade Valley where Alan had a small farm and raised agricultural animals. Jackie and Alan retired from the Moses Lake School District 161. Jackie's cancer later forced her to reside at Faith Larkin Home Care, Inc., in Moses Lake. Alan joined Jackie at Faith Larkin in 2013 where he currently resides.
As a teacher and even into retirement, Jackie excelled. She was the cheerleading advisor, supervisor for the Future Business Leaders of America, and was once named Teacher of the Year. In retirement she worked as an editor and proofreader for the Basin Business Journal, a Master Teacher supervising student teaching for Heritage University, Toppenish, Wash., was active among the wives of the Grant County Fair and Rodeo Board, and she served as secretary for the local chapter of the Red Hat Society.
Jackie was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by two sisters, Laurie and Don Wellsandt of Ritzville; and JoAnne and Karl Richardson of Kennewick, Wash. Jackie's four children survive her including Connie (and Charlie) Powell of Moscow, Idaho; Kathleen Powell of Twin Falls, Idaho; Colleen (and Jeff Powell) of Reardan, Wash.; and Steven (and Robin) Stolz of Carver, Minn. Her step children include Jeff (and Nikki) McKay of Hooper, Wash., and Katherine (and Chip) Molyneux, of Bellevue, Idaho. Jackie was also blessed to have known and loved her eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
On behalf of Jackie, the family acknowledges the many friends and distant relatives who knew and loved her. Her final years were made as comfortable as could be imagined by Amanda Valencia and Dr. Marv Chamberlin of Faith Larkin for which the entire family is eternally grateful. The family also acknowledges the fact that given an average longevity of only six months with her cancer diagnosis to live on for more than five years is due to the skill of the compassionate care she received from the Spokane oncology and hospice care communities.
A celebration of Jackie's life will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2014, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Jamison Event Center, 605 East Nelson Rd., Moses Lake.
Jackie's family suggests that any memorials be made as tax-deductible donations to the Eastern Washington University Foundation, 102 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, WA, 99004 designating the gift for the Department of Education in the College of Arts, Letters and Education. Alternatively, one may also donate to Hospice of Spokane, PO Box 2215, Spokane WA 99210.