Jacqueline Kush Turek September 16, 1943 – January 30, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers View/Sign Guest Book| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card Jacqueline (Jackie) Kush Turek, PhD, died January 30, 2019, at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, close to where she had lived for many years. She was born In Chicago on September 16, 1943, to Charles and Joanna (Altenkamp) Kush. Raised in the Chicago suburbs of Homewood and Lake Zurich, she moved to California as a young wife and mother when married to John Turek.
The couple separated, and Jackie completed her education while raising two sons. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from San Diego State University and went on to earn a PhD in Psychology from the University of North Dakota in 1989. While serving an internship at Creighton University in Omaha, she met Jon Niemann, her life partner of more than 30 years.
They were married in 2018. Jackie’s life was characterized by her strength of spirit, her intelligence and wit, her love of family, her deep pride in her children and grandchildren, her dedication to her profession and patients, her lasting friendships, and her determination. Despite a severe vision impairment caused by a disabling genetic condition, she persevered through undergrad and graduate school to achieve her dream of becoming a clinical psychologist.
A post-doctorate fellowship gave her the formative experience of working with AIDS patients at a county hospital in Los Angeles. She later worked as a psychologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Redlands CA, and at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where she specialized in treating patients with serious head and brain stem injuries. Even as her physical condition left her increasingly disabled, she lived independently by locating herself close to accessible bus routes and living within walking distance of her work.
She enjoyed travel with friends and family, was an avid reader and a lover of all kinds of music. Jackie was a natural caregiver. The oldest of nine siblings, she was a loving “big sister” (at 5′ in her stocking feet and about 105 lbs.
! ) and role model to her younger brothers and sisters, helping them navigate their way through their childhood and teenage years. She was a good cook who made her limited res stretch when raising sons Jeremiah and Christopher as a student and single mother.
And when her own mother entered hospice care in Denver in 2007, Jackie took a four-month leave of absence from her work in order to care for her mom until her death. Jackie is predeceased by her parents and her youngest sister, Elizabeth Gotto. She is survived by her husband Jon, who lovingly cared for her during her last challenging years; her sons Jeremiah (Gilda) Cornelius and Christopher (Lorraine) Turek; grandchildren Mahrokh and Shahin Cornelius and Gabriel and Joaquin Turek; siblings Mark (Marita) Kush, Gerry (Wayne) Gregersen, Carol (Mike) Peterson, Tom Kush, Matt (Anne) Kush, Linda (Spencer Morrow) Kush, and Judy (Larry) Cusack; special friend Penny Hogg, who provided help and support to Jon; many beloved nieces and nephews; dear cousins; and friends and colleagues far and wide.
A memorial service will be held in California at a later date.
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