Jacqueline Alva Hudgins Stophel left us to be with her Lord on Sunday, October 4, 2026, surrounded by her family—who sang her to heaven (perhaps a bit off-key!) with hymns and memories. The world truly is less bright. Jackie, Jack, Mom, or most lovingly, Mimi, leaves behind Glenn, her loving husband of sixty-eight years; three daughters, Rhonda Stophel Rutherford of Nashville, Kimberly Stophel Wendell (Peter) of Williamsburg, Virginia, and Leslie Stophel Maclellan (Dan) of Nashville; and her sister, Janice Hudgins Olenhouse (Vance) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Benjamin Glenn Conner, Jacob Ward Conner (Jolly), Jacqueline Hannah Maclellan-Williams (Khari), John Daniel Maclellan, Nicholas Glenn Maclellan, Charlotte Lynne Maclellan, Caitlyn Wendell Miller (David), Dane Wendell (Erin), and Morgan Wendell Parks (Scott); eight great-grandchildren; and three nephews, Richard, Ronnie, and Daniel Olenhouse. Jackie was born March 17, 1937, in Bremen, Georgia. She married Glenn on March 24, 1958, and they moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they raised their daughters and lived until moving to Franklin, Tennessee in 2004. Jackie was a force of nature, packing a lot into her (almost) five feet and 100 pounds. A leader at Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, she taught Sunday School to teens and led sixteen mission trips with the church youth, who called themselves “God’s Minority.” Later, she directed the church’s Senior Adult ministry—the “Keenagers”—for twenty years, leading trips throughout the United States and Canada. She gave generously of her time to numerous nonprofits, including many years on the Board of Bethel Bible Village and directing its Pat Boone Celebrity Golf Tournament. She was an entrepreneur (the Gingham Shoppe!), an artist, a gardener, and a poet. She was an avid entertainer with a gift for hospitality, setting a beautiful table while making anyone who entered her home feel welcome. She loved to dance, and she had spice and spunk. Mom loved her daughters with a ferocity that is humbling. And she loved her Savior, sharing her faith and her love of Christ with everyone she met—not just with words, but by the way she lived. Mom lived unconditional love and, when you needed it most, forgiveness. There was no gathering, from a Thanksgiving meal to a visit to the salon, that couldn’t become an impromptu Sunday School class. Mimi loved her grandchildren, and she took that job seriously. She showed up for football, tennis, and graduations, but Mimi also just showed up—with a shoulder to cry on, or Sonic, or banana pancakes, or ice cream, and always a warm hug. And always, always, always with a prayer, lifting each child and grandchild up to God daily. And Jackie loved her husband, Glenn. Theirs truly is a love story for the ages. From picking him out of a quartet visiting her church in Georgia, Jackie loved and supported Glenn for almost seventy years. As she began to forget more, she told her girls, “I may not always know you, but I will always know I love you.” And she did. Even when she forgot your name, she still called you “darling” and leaned in for a kiss. When Mom moved to full-time memory care, Mimi leaned into it as nothing more than a new Sunday School class, a new dinner party, and a new group of friends. We are especially grateful to Kaitlin, Mickey (LaTonya), Anterrio, Nelson, Allison, Aubrey and Katherine, who cared for Mom with such tenderness and love—and cared for us, too—as we learned to let her go. And while she may not always have remembered his name, Mom never forgot that she loved Glenn. Glenn tenderly showed up to feed her when she could no longer hold a fork, to sit with her—quietly, or not so quietly as Mom chatted—and to hold her hand. Theirs was, and is, a love story of true, unconditional love. Jackie, Mom, Mimi—you left us some pretty big size 5 shoes to fill. We will miss you terribly, and until we see you again with Jesus, we love you to the moon and back. A service will be held Friday October 9 at The Church at Harpeth Heights, 8063 Highway 100, Nashville Tennessee. Visitation 1:00 followed by a Service at 2:00 pm In lieu of flowers, please honor Mom with a gift to the Alzheimer’s Association or Alive Hospice of Tennessee (alivehospice.org).