To the Moulton Family,
I can’t put into words how sad I am that your dear mother/grandmother has passed through to the other side. I can imagine her joy being there and being greeted by her dear husband Rex and all her family and friends who passed on before. I can imagine a great reunion and celebration for a woman who lived and loved life to the fullest and lived it well.
But our world is a little emptier without the presence and influence of a wonderful daughter of God who lived the gospel and was a blessing to whomever she was with. Jackie knew how to make people feel welcome, wanted, and loved. I am sure I am far from the only person she took under her wing and mentored. I lived with the Moulton family for about 3 months in 1987, after returning home to the US from Taiwan without a place to go, and I was at a crossroads in my life. I will always be grateful to Rex and Jackie for welcoming me into their home. Those next few months were so important in the direction my life went. I will always remember fondly the hours that Jackie spent talking with me while she was in her sewing room in the home in Holladay – or around the house. Jackie was someone who said what she meant clearly and directly, but I knew she cared. I know I needed it. That time in her home (rooming with my “brother” Jaret) was pivotal and Jackie helped me see where I was clearly, and the direction I needed to go in. She didn’t tell me what to do but helped me see the decisions I needed to make through those long conversations. I appreciate the blessing Jackie was to me and that God brought me into her life at a time when I needed wise guidance to make important decisions that changed the trajectory of my life. How much less my life would be without her influence at that critical juncture.
I am happy we have visited over the 35 years since I lived with the Moultons, but I wish I had visited just once more. Once COVID came around, it was harder, but I am happy I had the opportunity to thank her for her kindness to me many times. She knew how much she meant to me – and I knew somehow, I meant a lot to her. The Moulton family is family to me, and I have been blessed by my interactions with her children and grandchildren over the years and helped whenever I could. I have done my best to follow her example with people in my life – to be there for them as Jackie was for me. My life is much better because of Jackie, and I will miss her dearly.
