Jacalyn Walton Siler

Jacalyn (Jackie) Siler, 70, of Bainbridge Island, WA., passed away surrounded by her loving family on Saturday October 19, 2019. She was born in June 1949 in Aberdeen, Maryland, the daughter of William John Long, Jr., and Dona Mary (Butters) Long.

Jackie grew up one of four girls in a military family, living on various military bases and attending many different schools in the United States and overseas. The family lived in 25 places before her father retired from the Army in 1963 when the family settled in Santa Cruz, California. Jackie graduated from Soquel High School in 1967, where she met her two life-long best friends, Jayette Williams and Nancy Hall.

In 1970 Jackie married David Walton, a Army helicopter pilot, as he was leaving for the Vietnam War. He returned in 1971 and thus began their years of adventure together. They lived in Santa Cruz from 1971 to 1973 and moved to Washington state in 1973 where David did helicopter logging. They later moved to Colorado, Arizona, California and back to Washington while David did helicopter forest fire suppression and search and rescue work. Their son Aeron was born in 1977 while they lived in Yosemite National Park. Later Jackie and David acquired land in northern Idaho where they lived in a tent while building their own home and living “off the grid.” Their daughter Jenny was born during this time in 1981.

Jackie started college in 1986 at age 39 and graduated with a degree in social work from the University of Montana. She continued at the University of Washington and completed her Master of Social Work degree in 1991 after completing an internship at United Way of King County. Jackie worked 25 years for in social services, serving in staff and managerial positions at United Way, Shepherd’s Counseling Services and Kitsap Community Resources before retiring in 2014.

After retiring, Jackie completed the Washington State University Master Gardener certification program and was very active with the Kitsap Master Gardeners. She spent many hours working with her gardener friends at the Raab Park Children's garden in Poulsbo and doing education and outreach at farmer's markets in Kitsap County. In addition, Jackie was a knitter, a sewer, completed 2 crossword puzzles everyday, tended her vegetable garden and closely followed the twists and turns of recent American politics.

Jackie married Mark Siler in 1994. Mark also worked at a Seattle social service agency and they met at a United Way meeting. Jackie and Mark celebrated their 25th anniversary in June 2019. Together they raised a blended family of Jackie’s children, Aeron and Jenny, and Mark’s children, Chelsea and Drew on Bainbridge Island. They enjoyed updating their house, landscaping the yard, raising a garden and tending fruit trees. They traveled to Italy, Greece and China making new friends and learning about ancient cultures.

More than anything Jackie enjoyed being with her grandchildren, working with them in the garden, doing art projects, cooking and going to the zoos and aquariums. In June 2019, Jackie and Mark's extended families were together for a week in a big house in Pebble Beach, California to celebrate Drew and Rebecca's wedding.

Jackie is survived by her husband Mark; her son Aeron Walton, his wife Amanda and their two daughters Elise and Cara; her daughter Jenny Meyer, her husband Rustin and their son Rowen and daughter Hazel; her stepdaughter Chelsea Siler; her stepson Drew Siler and his wife Rebecca; her sister Nancy Goehring; her half-sister Sarah Allen; her aunt Betty Hurlbut; her nieces Casey (Stumpf) Deneau, Sarah (Walton) Nightingale and Nissa (Walton) Bombino,; her nephew Andy Stumpf; and many grandnieces and grandnephews. She was predeceased by her sisters Patty Stumpf and Casey Longwood, and her parents Dona and William Long.

Remembrances can be made to Kitsap Master Gardeners (www.kitsapgardens.org/donate) or Kitsap Community Resources (www.kcr.org/donate) or a social service organization of your choice.

No services are scheduled at this time.

Arrangements are entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island.