JAQUELIN MCTEE
1929-2019
Jaquelin (Jackie) McTee was born in Eatonville, Washington in 1929 and passed peacefully of natural causes at home on April 21, 2019 surrounded by her family. She was a lifelong resident of Eatonville, as is her husband Charles (Chuck age 90) whom she married in 1950. He was her high school sweetheart and they shared nearly 69 wonderful years of life, love, trials and adventures together. They raised two daughters, Cindy (married to Leonard Slatkin) and Christy (married to Rick Coburn) who are so proud of their mom for the hard and very brave decisions she made regarding her own declining health.
Music was an important part of her life and she made sure her daughters had lessons in piano and other instruments from an early age. Jackie was a phenomenal clarinet player in high school, studying with the principal clarinet player of the Seattle Symphony and playing first chair, first clarinet in the University of Washington Band. She also played saxophone in a dance band in the greater Eatonville area with Chuck for many years.
Jackie obtained a bachelor’s degree in education in the 1960s from Pacific Lutheran University and taught first grade at Eatonville Grade School for 25 years. She took great joy in teaching children to read. She believed in hard work, integrity and excellence, and she passed along her high standards to hundreds of young people during the course of her teaching career.
Traveling was a favorite pastime as was quilting, gardening and cooking. No meal was complete without a pie, preferably wild blackberry, picked with her own hands on some adventure with Chuck. She also drew much enjoyment from the many animals she cared for throughout her life, mostly dogs, but also cats and birds.
Jackie was rarely seen without a piece of jewelry that matched the sparkle in her eye. Her beautiful smile lit up her face and lifted the spirits of everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. She will be remembered as a person devoted to family and friends with an extraordinary and inspiring ability to overcome physical hardship.
Her grandsons, Michael and Kenny Coburn, brought great joy to her, and they, along with Chuck, Christy, and Cindy will miss her immensely.
A graveside service attended by family and a few close friends was held for Jackie at the Eatonville Cemetery on April 27, 2019.
On April 29, 2019 a concert dedicated to Jackie’s memory at Eatonville High School featured the Pacific Lutheran University Wind Ensemble as well as performers from all five Eatonville School District schools. It was a particularly fitting tribute as Jackie was a graduate of both PLU and EHS, and she would have been thrilled witnessing young people making music together in her beloved home town.
Those who wish to make donations in Jackie’s memory can contribute to a scholarship fund the McTee family created to benefit Eatonville High School music students. Contributions are payable to Eatonville School District McTee Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 698, Eatonville, WA 98328.
Cindy spent Easter morning of 2019 photographing flowers at the beautiful Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. This picture and others taken within minutes of Jaquelin's passing serve as a reminder of her love of the natural world and the many hours of joy she received from cultivating plants of all descriptions.
