Jacqueline Lee Hooker Swartz – (01/02/1944 – 06/18/2026)
SOUTH BURLINGTON – Jacqueline Lee Hooker Swartz (82) passed away on June 18, 2026, surrounded by her loving family and a beautiful thunderstorm, two of her favorite things. A mom to three, stepmom to four, Mimi to ten, and nurse to countless patients and families, Jackie led with her heart, living a life of compassion, giving, and pride in all those whose lives she touched.
Jackie was born in Barre, Vt to John and Jeanette Hooker, graduating from Spaulding High School and the Mary Fletcher School of Nursing. She began her nursing career working on the Pediatrics floor at the Medical Center Hospital of VT (now UVMMC), and then spent decades as a vital member of the nursing team at Pediatric Medicine in South Burlington, VT. When the Vermont Pediatric Pulmonary Center opened, she partnered with Dr. Donald Swartz to build a compassionate, research-oriented practice where patients with cystic fibrosis, and their families, found both treatment … and hope.
And then they built a marriage.
In 1996, Don and Jackie were wed in a tiny church on the rocky shores of Maine, and for 30 years they crafted a love story neither of them had dared imagine – one based in trust, faith, and endless trips to the ocean. Their door was always open, and chocolate milk and Girl Scout cookies were always stocked. Many a life problem was analyzed and solved on their couch, and their grandchildren will never forget how it felt to be showered with their special brand of quiet affirmation.
Jackie spent countless hours leading troops, making costumes and craft projects, teaching piano, baking cookies, and cheering at every single event she could get to. Her Mimi rolls were legendary, her fudge spoons were coveted, and the SBHS stands are emptier without her special white sweatshirt and proud cheers.
Her patients were also family to her, and in her nursing years, she was a fierce advocate for them, doing everything possible to help them lead the longest, healthiest lives possible. Every marker they achieved, and every milestone they met, she cheered. When they didn’t, she grieved deeply. They were her family.
Jackie leaves behind her devoted husband, Donald Swartz; children Laurel (Belanger) Warren and husband Timothy, Mark Belanger and wife Amy, and Christopher Belanger; stepchildren Kathryn Roosa, Bill Swartz and partner Carol, Cynthia Swartz, Lynn (Swartz) Murphy and husband Patrick; grandchildren Ainsley, Audrey, and Sophie Warren, Kaeleigh and Conri Belanger, Jillian and Alice Belanger, Eamon, Kate (Winston), and Daelan Roosa; her brother John Hooker and wife Cynthia; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, her sister Judy, and her grandchildren Joshua and Adriana Warren.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, June 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Ready Funeral Home in South Burlington, VT. A celebration of Jackie’s life will take place Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. at the South Hero Congregational Church in South Hero, VT. In lieu of flowers, the family would love for you to honor Jackie by finding a way to give something of yourself to others in need, in whatever way that resonates for you, and/or to consider a donation to her favorite charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (https://www.cff.org/).