Jacquelyn Marie Whitaker, resident of Melrose MA formerly of West Medford, MA
passed away suddenly at her home on Monday, December 4th. She was 76 years of
age.
Born in Boston, MA on November 5th, 1947, she was a beloved daughter of her late
father and mother, Edward and Milbur (Thorpe) Whitaker. She was kind, loving,
generous and expressive person.
After graduating from Medford High School, Jacquelyn attended Mass College of Art
and went onto Dental School in Boston and became a Dental Hygienist. Jacquie had
such a zest for life! She learned about and took the opportunity to become a flight
attendant for Eastern Airlines, now Delta Airlines. However due to an injury she
transitioned to working as an Executive Assistant at companies such as, Arthur D.
Little, Wang, and Polaroid. After retiring from Polaroid, she eventually returned to
work teaching at Play Academy in Medford Square. She was so creative and really
enjoyed working with the young children. They loved Ms. Jacquie as they called her, and
the parents showed their appreciation by showering her with gifts especially around
the holiday season.
Jacquie loved her family immensely. Siblings, cousins, and friends who were like
family. She gave birth to her only Daughter, Cecily, on February 8th, 1982. She took the
upmost pride in being a mother, and later becoming a grandmother to both Iloni and
Roman.
Jacquie always had a love of sleek cars. She purchased her first dream car, a 1968
yellow 454 corvette without her parents knowing until the car was delivered on flatbed.
Her father told her it was too much car, especially since did not know how to drive a
stick shift. She had to return it but was able to purchase another corvette and enjoyed
riding around in that. As the years passed, she developed an eye for BMWs. She
purchased a Black 3 series convertible that she owned several years. At 75 she bought
herself another fabulous BMW 3 series Convertible.
Another love of Jacquie’s was fashion. Anyone who new her new what a fashionista she
was. Always sporting the latest styles, she was known for her vibrant colors, leathers,
furs, her enormous shoe collection, and all things bejeweled and leopard. Anything
cobalt blue she would buy! She often frequented Filenes and Saks 5th Avenue. She loved
to sew and make clothes, often creating her own designs. In 1973, Jacquie decided to
fly to New York to the Ford Modeling agency to give her dreams a shot. She continued to
pursue many opportunities through out the years.
Jacquie was a very talented singer that got her share of invitations to sing backup for
successful bands. Through-out her life, she performed singing solos in church and
would be asked to sing at many community funerals. For many years, she taught
Sunday school at West Medford Baptist Church following in her beloved mother’s
footsteps. Jacquie loved to cook and bake. Her family members would often request her
to make some of their favorites, such as sweet potato pies, bread pudding and a
longtime family recipe of homemade rolls. She would make some with raisins and
some without.
Jacquie is survived by her beloved daughter, Cecily T. Christian-Brooks and her
husband Anthony Brooks, her grand-daughter, Iloni Taylor and grandson Roman
Christian- Brooks. Her surviving siblings, Kathleen (Sissy) Whitaker of Medford,
Edward E Whitaker Jr., and wife Rhonda of Medford, Pamela Whitaker-Gray and
husband, Alfred of No. Reading, Derrick S. Alleyne and wife, Lisa of Clifton, New Jersey,
and Cecil Galloway of Stoneham, MA. She is pre-deceased by her sisters, Marlene
Godfrey of Malden, MA, and Vicki Fanning of North Carolina.
She leaves many cousins, a host of nephews, nieces, great nephews, great nieces, and
so many friends. Jacquie loved her family, her friends and touched everyone’s heart
that she met. She will surely be missed by all who knew her.
Her Funeral Service will be celebrated in the West Medford Baptist Church, 59 Boston Avenue, Medford on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at Noon. Visitation will be held in the church, prior to the service, from 10 to 12. Interment will be privately held. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Beals-Geake-Magliozzi Funeral Home of Medford. For additional information, please visit, www.magliozzifuneralhome.com.