Jacqueline (Greer) Aanenson

Jacqueline Greer Aanenson passed away at home early in the morning of January 11, 2018. She was 94 years old and lived a marvelous life. However, the last nine years became more difficult as she lost her husband of 64 years, Quentin, and began her descent into Alzheimer's Disease. Jackie was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on February 18, 1923. Her father was a school principal and her mother a school teacher. They lived in a few small towns until eventually settling in Baton Rouge. Jackie played basketball in her high school, and even at 5'2" she was a star because of her amazing ability to score baskets. She went on to college at Louisiana Tech. During World War II, Jackie did clerical work, and played on the girls' basketball team, at Harding Field (now the Baton Rouge airport) where her future husband was training to be a Thunderbolt fighter pilot. Jackie was an outstanding dancer and met Quentin at a 1944 "ladies choice" Valentine's dance; she selected him as the best dancer in the room. The couple began their wartime correspondence when Quentin left for his first mission, the Battle of Normandy. In April of 1945 they married in Baton Rouge while Quentin was on leave. The war ended before he was sent to the Pacific theater, so they stayed in Louisiana and began to build a wonderful life. After moving to Arlington, Virginia, and while raising three children, Jackie excelled at oil painting and became an outstanding bridge player, eventually teaching classes. When they settled in Bethesda, Jackie founded the Washington Bridge Marathon which grew in size during the 1980's and 90's such that eventually they had donated over $100,000 to Children's Hospital in Washington. She was very active in her church, Concord-St. Andrews Methodist, and with the Republican Women's Society. During the 1980's until 1992, Jackie was a volunteer at the White House, working in the Old Executive Office Building. Eventually Jackie could be heard and seen on TVs all over America as her husband's personal WWII documentary, A Fighter Pilot's Story, aired on PBS in 1993 and as they were later featured in Ken Burns' The War in 2007. Jackie was predeceased by her husband, Quentin, and her sister Nelwyn Greer,of New Roads, Louisiana. She is survived by her children, Vicki (Harry) Murphy, Jerry Aanenson, Debra (Tom) Pyers; grandchildren, Derek (Kate) Murphy, Ryan Curtis Murphy, Kyle Murphy, Trent Aanenson, Troy Aanenson, Shanna (Brian) Bacher, Brett Pyers; and three great grandchildren. Visitation will be held at Joseph Gawler's, 5130 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington D.C. on Sunday, January 21 from 2– 5 pm. A funeral service at Concord-St. Andrews Methodist Church, 5910 Goldsboro Road, Bethesda, will begin at 11:00 a.m. Monday, January 22.