Jacqueline F. Kaminski

You never doubted Jackie loved you. God’s light and love poured out of Jacqueline “Jackie” Kaminski, of Mint Hill, NC, from the moment she believed in Jesus Christ as her Savior as a young girl, until she took her last breath at age 77, on Monday, December 18, 2023, at Novant Health Charlotte. Her sudden departure was due to complications from AML, an acute form of Leukemia which was diagnosed earlier that week.

Jacqueline was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on May 13, 1946, the daughter of Col. Gerald and Grace Russell Fico. An Army brat, she traveled the world, from Japan to England, and graduated high school in Decatur, Georgia. Through a blind date setup by roommates, she met Joseph Kaminski while he was attending Georgia Tech. On October 14, 1967 they were married.

They moved to San Diego, CA where they would start a family. Throughout her life, Jackie held various positions, some of these were working as a model, a substitute teacher, crossing guard, as well as an oral surgery assistant, but none of these jobs were as important to her as taking care of her husband and four daughters. Her love of being a mom shined through not only in the hard work of making meals and keeping house, but in her daily prayers and warm hugs for her family and friends.

She was always thinking of others making sure family and friends were well taken care of—whether it was through a meal, a prayer or just spending time with them. Jackie faithfully volunteered at her church food pantry and enjoyed getting to know the people she served. She never met a stranger and would easily warm up to anyone with her “gift of gab” ! The love of Christ overflowed to everyone she met.

The family moved to Virginia, followed by Maryland, and finally retiring in North Carolina where Jackie continued to enjoy cooking, especially trying new recipes from various cultures. She also loved horses and riding. Anyone who knew Jackie also knew she enjoyed reading the Bible and was an avid studier of scripture. Jackie was passionate about her faith and she enjoyed sharing the love of Yeshua (Jesus) with everyone she met. We are fairly certain she is now offering advice to Him in heaven and this silly idea reminds us of her wonderful sense of humor.

Most of all, she loved the time spent with family and friends and her vivacious spirit, laughter and blessing will be fondly remembered and sadly missed by all who knew her.

Jackie is survived by her husband of 56 years, Joseph Allan Kaminski of Mint Hill; four daughters: Jennifer (husband Rob) Philbrick of Indian Trail, NC, and their children: Sydney, Lauren and Anderson; Jessica (husband Mark) Landon of Charlotte and their children Helen and Mary; Joanne (husband Jeff) Roy of Mint Hill, and their children Liam, Gavin and Keira, and Judith (husband Bruno) Grunau of Fairbanks, Alaska, and their children Annabelle and Russell. Jackie is further survived by numerous other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Gerald “Jerry” Fico.

In lieu of flowers and in honor of her love of serving and helping others, donations in her memory would be gratefully appreciated to Joseph’s Pantry, ℅ The Refinery Church of Charlotte, online at https://refinerychurch.churchcenter.com/giving You can select “Food Pantry” from the drop down menu.

Jackie’s family has given the Lowe-Neddo Funeral Home family the privilege of caring for her and for them. Please take a moment to share a photo, video, memory or condolence on her Tribute Wall.

A public Celebration of Life will be held for Jackie on Sunday, January 7, 2024 at Joy Church in Matthews, NC at 3:30 pm, followed by a reception at The Refinery Church of Charlotte in Mint Hill, NC.