Jacqueline S. Nicele Justen

Jacqueline S. Nicele Justen of Rockford died May 4, 2008.  Born September 20, 1937 in McHenry, IL, daughter of Nicholas and Celia Freund Justen.  She was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, Milwaukee, WI until 1975.  Graduated from St. Joseph High School, Milwaukee.  Received her BA from Alverno College, Milwaukee, her MA from Loyola University, Chicago and an MA in Social Work from the University of Illinois, Champaign.  She taught school at the elementary level as well as Boylan High School.  From 1981 until her retirement she worked as a social worker for the Rockford Public Schools.  Nicele was very active in Rockford, leading workshops, usually in communications, for the following organizations:  The Department of Children and Family Services, Singer Zone Center, Headstart, Contact (where she was Executive Director of the Crisis Intervention Staff), Illinois Status Offenders Staff, Rape Victims Training Class and Battered Womens Groups.  She had a love for travel, mostly to unusual places, where she tried to understand the people and their culture.  Her collection of art objects are a testimony to this.  She was particularly interested in the Hopi Indians of Arizona, where she completed a summer practicum.  She was passionate about our need to save the planet and practiced this by living a very simple and conservative life.  She even built a dome house and lived in it to conserve energy.  In addition to other things, her co-workers and friends remember her for her good sense of humor and being a coinscientious worker.  She is survived by nieces, Carla Martin and Marjorie Justen; nephew, Ronald Justen and numerous other nieces and nephews.  Special thanks to her care givers, Maya Sonishvili, Irina Kowaleski, Lyudmila Button, Valli Williams and Bickford House.  Also a very special thanks to Dale Collura who made sure she was well cared for and that her needs were met.    Visitation Thursday, May 8, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Mulford Chapel, 1860 S. Mulford Rd.  Burial in St. Mary Cemetery, McHenry at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 10, 2008.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimers Association for Research, 4777 E. State St. Rockford, IL. 61108 or The Nature Conservatory.  Condolences may be extended to the family at www.fitzgeraldfh.com.