Full Obituary

     JACELYN JANE SCHECKLMAN, age 74, of Neillsville, WI, passed away peacefully at her home on Wednesday, July 6, 2016.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11am on Saturday, July 16, 2016 at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Loyal, with Fr. Steve Brice officiating.  Visitation will be held at the church, of Saturday, from 9am until the time of service.
     Jackie was born May 24, 1942 in Neillsville, to William and Blanche (West) Jake.  She graduated from Neillsville High School in 1960, and attended UW-Eau Claire where she played clarinet in the university orchestra and toured the Midwest for a short time.  If there was ever such a thing as a natural on the clarinet, she was it.  She played beautiful music for many, many years.
      On July 16, 1966, she married the  love of her life, James Anthony Schecklman, and began life's journey with him.  They owned and operated a locally popular, country tavern called Jim's Walnut Inn for nearly 20 years.  It was there where they made many of their lifelong friends.  Throughout her life, Jackie was employed at various jobs including waitressing, working at the St. Joseph's Dietary Department, the First National Bank of Neillsville, the Clark County Farm Service Agency (formerly ASCS), and Chili Implement.  She was also a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church and the Starlight Homemakers Club.
     In her later years, she made the transition from “Mom” and “Momma” to simply “Granny Jack.”  She was always the first to call you to hear about your day, and she seemed to cherish every conversation we shared.  Granny Jack was also the official keeper of family birthday parties, being sure to never let one go by without a stupendous party.  Even when we didn’t feel like cake or it was in the middle of the week, it didn’t matter.  She celebrated every birthday and celebrated us.  We will always miss her enthusiasm and caring.
     While she was thrilled to see Wayne Newton in concert in La Crosse many years ago, her true musical love was Elvis Presley.  She would often play his music on the piano and every now and then she could be heard humming “Love Me Tender” or “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”  As her health began to fail so did her sight.  But as they say, when one sense diminishes, the others often enhance.  And enhance they did.  She could taste a hint of salt or spice in a dish when the masses would have no clue.  She could smell the scent of wet on water, and she could hear even the faintest of sounds that weren’t meant to be heard.
     Because of her loss of sight, she began to listen to the  radio more frequently.  She caught every Packer game, nearly every Brewers game, and when the Wisconsin Badgers basketball team made the Final Four recently, she listened to that as well.  In fact, you could often hear squeals of excitement and joy from the bedroom at the blaring call of the radio seconds before the ball went through the hoop or the clock expired while watching the same game on satellite TV.  Yes, she often let the cat out of the bag, but we always loved her for it.  From time to time, she enjoyed a musical or wrote a poem for a family member.  And her absolute favorite junk food for as long as we can remember is a delectable snack called Cheetos.
     One thing that never changed over the course of her entire life was her love for her family.  As all families do from time to time, we had our ups and downs, squabbles and laughs, but we never lost the love we share for each other.  And our love for our beloved wife, mom, grandma, and so much more will carry on in all of us in the things we do and the lives we touch.  While she may be gone from this earth, her memory will live on forever.
     Jackie will be dearly missed by her husband, Jim, of Neillsville; three children: Kelly Fure of Milwaukee, Cindy Schecklman of Neillsville, and James W. (Tammy) Schecklman of Greenwood; four grandchildren: Dustin (Emilie) Fure of New York City, Sean Fure of Milwaukee, and Molly and Marnie Schecklman of Greenwood; one great grandchild, Grayson Fure; and many other wonderful relatives and friends.  She was preceded in eternal life by her mom and dad, her brother Steven Jake, and stepfather Walter Beyer.
     The family would like to offer special thanks to Karla and Kelly of the Ministry Home Care Hospice Team and Father Steve Brice.  Together, they offered comfort, care, and peace in Mom’s final days.