Life Story

Beloved mother, wife and grandmother Jacquelyn G. Hontz passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Aliso Viejo, CA on Jan. 25 at age 78.

Jackie was born in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 1946 to Harold J. Domich and Alta W. Patterson. She grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1963. She initially attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, not far from her father's original home in Ely, where she spent each summer growing up. She later transferred to the University of Maryland, where she met her future husband, then Naval Academy Midshipman, Edward B. (Ted) Hontz.

She married LTjg Hontz in December 1968 and became a dedicated Navy wife and mother, moving around the country 14 times and raising her three children, while her husband spent many years on remote assignments at sea. The family settled in Fredericksburg, VA after Ted retired from the Navy. Jackie's personal sacrifices, her dedication to her family and to the Navy were instrumental in the success of Ted's career.

In Fredericksburg, Jackie became involved in community affairs, serving on the Board of Directors of several nonprofit organizations, including Mental Health America of Fredericksburg. One of her joys of life was years of teaching Sunday School to middle school children at Trinity Episcopal Church. She also helped form a women's support group called The Leadership Roundtable and was involved in local and national Democratic politics. For years she managed the group and arranged weekly luncheons with occasional guest speakers.

Jackie was also a fierce competitor, an enforcer of arcane grammatical rules, a late-in-life fitness buff, and a lover of dogs, trivia and all-things Disney and Christmas. She is survived by her husband, Ted, two daughters, Jenny (Victor) and Gretchen (Quentin) and three grandchildren Max, Augie and Ida. Her son, Edward B. Hontz, Jr., predeceased her.

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In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.