Jacqueline "Jackie" Ruth (Shields) Emel, age 94, passed away on June 9, 2023, after a long and well-lived life. She was a highly skilled seamstress, voracious reader, avid traveler, and enthusiastic fan of live theater and movies. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend.

Jackie was born in Nebraska on November 3, 1928, nearly 20 years after her next oldest sibling, often joking she was the "oops baby." She enjoyed playing clarinet in her high school band, a skill set she practiced well into her 80s. She married Keith Emel in 1946 and had three children: Jody, Ted, and Janet. After her children had grown, Jackie started a new adventure and moved to San Diego where her son Ted had been stationed in the Navy. She spent most of her career working for Scripps Mercy Hospital, a career she was proud of and continued to volunteer her time at the hospital after her retirement. Jackie spent her free time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, traveling and collecting small boxes from all corners of the globe, and sewing everything from her granddaughter's prom dress, doll clothes, and Christmas table runners to give as gifts to family and friends.

Jackie spent her last 7 years in Tucson, AZ, living near her daughter Janet. She enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, listening to classical music and sewing small quilts for the PAWSitively Cats No-kill shelter. She was predeceased by her parents Frank and Vendla Shields, her siblings Roger, Jessie, Rose, and Frances, and her grandson Sam. She will be missed by her children Jody, Ted, and Janet, her grandchildren Lindsay, Jay, and Julia, and her great-grandchildren Wesley, Tristan, Owen, Hudson, Logan, Fiona, and her many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, September 24, 2023, at the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center in Carlsbad, CA from 5-8 pm.