Jacqueline Lee Wicks

Jacqueline, our dear mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on November 24, 2022, surrounded by loved ones. Born on July 3, 1933, to Clarence and Helen (Charter) Cavanagh, Jackie was a 1951 graduate of Sexton High School and a lifelong Lansing resident.

Jackie’s marital journey with her husband, Richard, lasted nearly 54 years until his passing in 2005. Word has it they met through his sister, Barb. Together, they raised five children. Nightly dinners were hearty and everyone cleaned their plates. Jackie babysat for neighborhood children until she began a 30-plus year career at Sparrow Hospital’s Newborn Nursery. Jackie and Richard both worked incredibly hard and instilled in their kids the value of a job well done. While there wasn’t much to spare, Jackie always budgeted and saved for family camping trips. She was the rock of the family who managed the household with firmness and love.

Jackie was a prolific card sender (and they were marvelous). She rarely missed a birthday, holiday, wedding, shower or anniversary. She also closely followed current events and MSU sports and was particularly fond of Turner Classic Movies. Both before and after Richard’s death, she enjoyed walking at the Lansing Mall, shows at the Wharton Center, activities with Delta Township 39er’s Club, trips with friends, and going to the Senior Center.

Jackie was happiest during family gatherings and when going out to breakfast and dinner. The Wicks meals were fun and boisterous affairs and Jackie would note how lucky she felt to be around family. Especially in her final months, Jackie took great pleasure in spending time with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren at these gatherings. On her final full day of life, many family members were able to speak with and spend time with her while she was comfortable, alert and at peace. Jackie’s enduring legacy will be the family she nurtured and selflessly loved.

Left to cherish Jackie’s memory are her children: Michael (Laura) Wicks, Ronald Wicks, Carol Banks, Mark (Barbara) Wicks, and Jon (Marie) Wicks; her grandchildren: Allyse Wicks (Ben McChesney), Alison (Larry) Fishel, Samuel Wicks, Jamie (Sheryl) Wicks, Nicholas (Julianna) Wicks, Andrew Wicks, Chandler Banks (Obed Marquez); and her great-grandchildren: Dominic, Colton, and Eleanor Fishel, Elliott and Harrison Wicks and Kane Marquez. She will also be missed by many nieces, nephews, dear cousins and their families, as well as lifelong friend, Sharon Stephens.

Jackie was predeceased by her husband; her parents; her sisters, Beverly Odell, Sandy Broda and Mary Ferris along with their husbands; her step-mother, Frances Cavanagh; her dear sister-in-law, Barbara Jackson; and her son-in-law, Rodney Banks.

A funeral service and celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel. Interment will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. The family will receive visitors from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, December 5th at the funeral home. The family would like to express appreciation for the excellent staff of Careline Hospice and Burcham Hills Assisted Living, and to Jackie’s cousin, Lance Lynch, for assisting with the services at Estes-Leadley Funeral Homes.

For those who wish, donations may be made to the Braille and Talking Book Library (BTBL) in memory of Jacqueline L. Wicks. Online donations: Library of Michigan Foundation, with the dedication indicating BTBL. Checks made out to “Library of Michigan Foundation” with a note on the memo line indicating BTBL and mailed to Library of Michigan Foundation, P.O. Box 11027, Lansing, MI 48901.