Jackie Engler, my mom, was born to Vern & Daisy McQueen on November 12, 1924. She was raised on the family farm 10 miles northwest of Stockton, Kansas. She often told stories of the struggles of farm life during the dust bowl days but also the fun she had growing up on the farm. She loved the fact that her dad, Vern McQueen, raised horses along with the crops.

Jackie's greatest adventure began when Paul Engler showed up with a friend to pick up her sister. My mom always said that when my dad started unfolding out of that coupe (he was 6'4", she was 5'2") she knew he was the one. It was true! WWII was going on and my dad was home on leave, they had planned for her to arrive in California and get married before he shipped out. However, things don't always go as planned and she arrived in downtown Los Angeles the day after he left. Now most people who had never traveled off the farm might have been overwhelmed, but not my mom! She got a job at Woolworth's and Western Union, found a room to rent in a boarding house and waited for my dad to come home. When he did, they were married on January 23, 1945. This is when their real adventure began.

Through the years they lived in many places, as my dad worked for the oil industry. In the 1970s my parents changed their profession and moved to Las Vegas where my dad worked at the test site and my mom was a very successful real estate agent, she was always a go-getter! This is where the door opened for them to travel the world. My mom shared so many great stories about their travels to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Australia and many more. During this time, I had their only granddaughter, Sabrina. She was the apple of their eye and in the years following her arrival, my mom began to stay state-side to spend more time with her. My mom and daughter shared a very special relationship, they were best friends! Grandma was always there to guide Sabrina down the right path to success.

In 2002, my dad passed away and my mom was lost. They had been a team for 57 years; they spent the last years of his life traveling the country in their RV and had lots of fun with daddy driving from the left-side seat and mom from the right-side. After my dad passed, my mom found a home with a "forever" view during a visit to Kanab, Utah and this is where we lived for the next 7 years. We made many trips to Oceanside, California to see Sabrina and a few trips back to Kansas to visit family.

In 2009, Sabrina married on my parents wedding anniversary and by the end of the year, our family was blessed with the greatest joy we have ever known, the twins, Lola and Levi. Mom and I moved to Oceanside so we wouldn't miss anything with the babies. Grandma now became known as Gigi and it was her best role yet. Being their great-grandma was her greatest joy and she couldn't spend enough time with them! Unfortunately her health was declining and on December 1, 2011 she was blessed to go home and be with Daddy again. We are blessed to know she is at peace and in a better place. Our lives will be less without her, but her experiences, knowledge, strength, guidance and most of all her love will allow us to go on. We find comfort knowing she is close by watching over us…

Jackie is survived by her daughter, Sheila Cannella, granddaughter and her husband, Sabrina and Brent Smitherman, her great-grandbabies, Lola & Levi Smitherman, her brother and sister-in-law, Carroll and Deanna McQueen, brother-in-law, Darrel Engler and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Cremation was planned. A graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, June 30, 2012 in the Bogart Cemetery, Phillips County, KS, with Pastor Gary Davidson officiating.