June 15, 2006

A kind heart and a gentle soul

Jackie Linehan 1937—2006: Longtime Almaden resident is remembered by friends and family

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

Jacqueline Linehan was well known in the Almaden Valley as a kind-hearted, gentle soul who often displayed a keen wit and winning sense of humor. Family and friends mourned the passing of the woman they called Jackie when she died of an apparent heart attack on May 15 at the age of 69.

Quintessential Jackie Linehan was always the life of any party. Photos courtesy of the Linehan family

“Jackie had a sincerely giving spirit, not only of her time and talents but also financially,” said Sandy Flores who met Linehan when they attended the same sorority at San Francisco State and would have celebrated 50 years of friendship this fall. “She and I both belonged to the Junior Ladies of Charity in the 1960s and 1970s, and also the League of Eastfield’s Children Center [before becoming Eastfield Ming Quong]. She taught CCD for well over a decade, giving of her time and gifting every child with her special personality.”

Jackie Hobbs was born in Berkeley in 1937 and had a brother, Thomas and a sister, Sandra. She attended Berkeley High School. The family would vacation at Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe where the 15-year-old girl met her future husband, James. After they married, the couple purchased a home on the north side of Lake Tahoe where Jackie enjoyed time there more than any other place.

“My sister, Jackie and I were almost six years apart in age so growing up she seemed so much older than I,” remembered Sandy Konrath. “As her little sister, I was in awe of her beauty and charm and how easily she could draw people to her. I was riding horses when she was homecoming queen, so our paths were quite different. Having children changed our relationship and brought us much closer together.”

The young Hobbs graduated from San Francisco State with a teaching degree and taught grammar school for several years. She married Dr. James Linehan in 1960. Their son Jamie was born during the second Super Bowl game, a story her friends say she relished telling.

Konrath remembers the family gatherings at their parent’s Ben Lomond home, a tradition that continued for 40 years with Jackie bringing her famous chili to share. She was a great cook and would often create meals for friends and charity events.

“I have four children and my oldest daughter is named after my sister,” said Konrath. “All of my children, especially my three girls, have such fond memories of Aunt Jackie. She often took them on extra special trips with their cousin James and then there were the clothes. When Jackie cleaned out her closet it was like no shopping spree I could ever take them on—I would come home with boxes and bags of clothes and they would spend days trying on clothes and for the next few years Jackie would delight in seeing the girls wearing something of hers.”

Linehan always gave of her time whether to charities or “little things” she would gift.

Konrath has special treasures her sister presented through the years—a hanging ornament that states, “sisters make the best friends.” A framed picture with the verse “I wish you peace for your heart when you’re lonely, a hand to hold when you’re scared, two wings and a rainbow to ride on…to know love…and that I’ll always care.” And a gold running horse charm and a cameo with a mother and child on it to replace a necklace she had worn for 35 years that was lost.

Linehan was the fashion plate. The family photos show a blissful woman, always smiling, and always “dressed to the tens” as one friend said. She was 5 foot 8,” a perfect size 8 throughout her life and “anything she put on looked fabulous.”

Dr. and Mrs. James Linehan at one of the many events they attended in Almaden.

Linehan enjoyed tennis, bridge and garden club with her friends. She and her husband were world travelers but she found as much contentment in the family visits to Tahoe where James would fish and she would read historic novels. And she always had time to donate her time whether to the Eastfield’s Children Center, teaching CCD at Holy Spirit or volunteering with the Assistance League, the Almaden Women’s Club, Valley Monte or choreographing the Almaden Counseling Service’s Snow Ball fashion shows for many years.

“Jackie’s one great attribute was her absolute love for children in addition to her remarkable optimism and great spirit,” said a neighbor. “She was loved by all of the children in the neighborhood. To me Jackie was a beautiful butterfly, fun loving, gregarious but never silly. Jamie, her son, adored his mother, as did my daughter who at times was mistaken to be Jackie’s. Jackie’s legacy to me is to support stay at home moms and volunteer help when they need it. She did a lot of things anonymously and she had no ego.”

Thirty-five year friend Dee Eberly remembers that Linehan was always positive, happy, and generous, “and never said a bad word about anyone and was a very special lady.” Eberly was one of a group of women who played bridge but their friendship went back decades when they met as neighbors in Almaden and attended the Swim and Racquet Club together.

“What Jackie did was live life to the fullest and pull everyone around her into the joy of it,” said Flores. “Her smile could light up a room; her personality was as unique as her style of dress, all of which combined to make her a real show stopper when she was ‘on.’ She was a true original and all of us have hoards of ‘Jackie” stories from our years of traveling along by her side. There’ll never be another Jackie.”

A memorial celebration of Jackie Linehan’s life will be held at the Almaden Country Club on Saturday, June 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.