May 31, 1933 – Sept. 5, 2021

 Jackie Stembridge passed away late in the day on Sunday, Sept. 5 after a long and difficult battle with Alzheimer’s, comforted by the loving care of her family in Walnut Creek, California.

Jackie was born in El Paso, Texas and raised by her delightfully spunky Mississippi-born mother Hattie Gressett Berry. Jackie graduated from Austin High School where she caught the eye of a handsome cave explorer and budding rocket scientist, Charles H. Stembridge, who was a couple of years ahead of her in school.

She married Charles at the young age of 19 shortly after graduating. They honeymooned at the Grand Canyon, which included a voyage to the base of the canyon on mule-back. The sights were amazing – but so were the bruises from the saddles, a story that was told with great laughter by the two of them for the rest of their lives!

The young family moved to La Crescenta in 1958 as Charles pursued work with the budding space program at Jet Propulsion Lab and found a great place to raise their two sons Charles, Jr. and John. Their life in La Crescenta was briefly interrupted by a two-year foray back in Texas – Lubbock, home of Texas Tech – where Charles completed his doctorate before they returned to La Crescenta for good.

Even though Jackie’s life was centered in La Crescenta, she urged the family to search out new places, and summers were always for touring. They explored beaches from Southern California to Oregon, the red rock canyons of Bryce and Zion, and a memorable seven-week expedition in Europe where they purchased a VW camper from the factory in Germany, journeyed through the continent and then crossed the English Channel by ferry to explore England and Scotland.

Jackie was a great mother, providing love and freedom in equal parts for her two boys as they grew up knowing they could stay home and read books or stay out all day climbing Pickens Canyon’s Chain Falls. She raised them to be good cooks, inquiring scholars and eager travelers.

As her boys grew old enough to be independent, she became determined to go to college. Jackie pursued that by first taking some art and literature classes at Glendale College, enjoying the new world she’d entered and, with much hard work, earned her Master of Arts degree in English at California State University, Los Angeles. With that, Jackie became a professor at Glendale Community College, teaching English as a second language for the next 20 years. She had great success, building wonderful relationships with her students and fellow teachers, and also began to write poetry and short stories for her own enjoyment.

Her husband Charles passed away in 1985, leaving a big hole in her heart, but her teaching career gave some solace to her as she continued to work until 2002 when she retired. Jackie was able to spend the time left to her by enjoying her family, gardening, traveling to Japan, Canada, Europe and Australia, as well as continuing to write and share her poetry at local readings.

She loved her grandchildren Brooke, Carrie and Bryn. She took her two granddaughters on a memorable trip to Montreal where she introduced them to fine dining (escargot!), shared with all of them her love of great literature and stylish clothes, and snuck in a bit of feminist ideals along the way.

She is survived by her son Charles H. Stembridge, Jr. and daughter-in-law Julie of Walnut Creek; her son John R. Stembridge of Ann Arbor, Michigan; granddaughter Brooke M. Hageman and husband Jeremy of Longmont, Colorado; granddaughter Carrie M. Calonico and husband Kyle of San Ramon, California; grandson Bryn C. Stembridge of Wausau, Wisconsin; and great-grandsons Conley and Isaac.

Jackie was an inspiration to her family and she will be greatly missed.