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WELLS -- Jackie Wells (Lawton) died at 2:20 p.m. on January 23, 2008, at her home in Albuquerque, surrounded by family and close friends. Jackie is survived by her devoted and loving husband, her true love, Dan; her daughters, Courtney Lawton and her partner, Kathie Dejea, of Albuquerque, and Kellen Lignier, of Morey St. Denis, France; her grandchildren, Lucie and Auguste Lignier and Henry, Joseph, and Abigail Bettinger; her brother, Murray Keeler and his wife, Judy of Animas, New Mexico; her sister, Madeleine Frossard and her husband, Ted of Dallas, Texas; and her beloved nieces and nephews, Shelly, April, Anna, Brandy, Amanda, Cindy, Whitney, Beau, Randy, and Erin. Jackie was born on May 19, 1944, the daughter of Hugh and Beth Keeler, in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from Burgess High School, and later from Hotel-Dieu Nursing School. In 1976, she moved with her daughters to Albuquerque and established her career as an accomplished nurse. She worked for over 20 years at University of New Mexico Hospital, first as an operating-room nurse, then as a plastic surgery specialty nurse, then in the trauma-surgical intensive care unit, and finally in hospice. Jackie was an accomplished artist and gardener, and surrounded herself with wonderful craftspeople and visionaries. She loved traveling, and especially enjoyed South and Central America and France. She was conversant in Spanish and French. A strong woman, she raised her daughters to be strong, self-assured women, too, and she loved Coco and Kellen fiercely. She succumbed to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, and had bitterly mourned the loss of her arms and legs because she was no longer able to do what she so enjoyed: traveling, gardening, and creating art. Memorial Services are pending, and in lieu of flowers, please honor her memory by making a donation to Medecins sans Frontieres (doctorswithoutborders.org).
        Published on: Sun January 27, 2008