Jacqueline S. Ekstrom

Jacqueline “Jackie” S. Ekstrom, 83, of Peoria Heights, Illinois, passed away surrounded by her loved ones on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at Reflections Memory Care in Morton.

Born on December 13, 1942, in Peoria, Jackie was the second cherished daughter of Elmer and Bernadine (Siebel) King. She grew up in a close-knit Peoria Heights neighborhood and graduated from Richwoods High School with the class of 1960. Family was the center of her life, beginning with her deep devotion to her parents and her older sister, Judith “Judie.” She treasured the affectionate nicknames her family used—Elm and Bern for her parents, Jude and Jack for the sisters—and delighted in her brother-in-law Robert “Bob” Dryden’s continued use of “Jack” in her later years. Becoming an aunt at age 14, she cherished that role throughout her life, celebrating every milestone of her nieces, nephews, and their children, whether they were related by blood, marriage, or the heart.

Jackie married in 1965 and joyfully became a stay-at-home mother to her daughters, Christine “Chris” and Julia, for twenty years. She kept a sparkling home, sewed most of their clothes, provided in-home childcare, typed student papers, and actively supported her daughters’ school and church activities. Later she returned to the workforce, serving as an administrative assistant at Komatsu and then for twenty years at the Peoria County Health Department, where she formed lasting friendships until her retirement in 2014.

Above all, Jackie loved the Lord. She accepted Christ while watching a Billy Graham crusade in the early 1960s and spent the rest of her life deepening her relationship with Him through daily Bible reading, study, and service. Her favorite verse, Proverbs 30:8b—“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread”—reminded her of God’s faithful provision, a truth she often illustrated with stories of answered prayer. She is survived by her daughters, Christine Paluska of Peoria Heights and Julia Ekstrom of Edwards; grandsons Samuel and Benjamin Paluska; her sister, Judith (Robert) Dryden of Bethany Beach, Michigan; and many beloved nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and honorary grandchildren.