Jaclynn Lee Fletcher - Obituary

aclynn Lee Fletcher passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully in her sleep on Friday March 7, 2025 in her Annapolis home of nearly 30 years. She was 73. Jackie, as she was known to her many friends from Annapolis to Pittsburgh, to various parts of West Virginia, to Colorado, came into the world like the firecracker she was on July 4, 1951. She was nine, or maybe 25, before she realized the annual Independence Day fireworks were not actually for her. Born in Washington DC, she moved with her family to Pittsburgh and graduated from Mt Lebanon in 1969, where she was voted homecoming queen by her peers who knew this wasn't her style, but she wore that title well. Following her graduation in 1969, she enrolled in West Virginia University during one of the most volatile eras in modern history. Jackie passionately embraced both protests against the Vietnam war and support for the civil rights movement. During and after college, she lived in a cabin in Independence, West Virginia that she named "The Ole Same Place." The venue attracted an assortment of characters who answered to names like "Lightnin' " and "Mad Dog” who could have been hand picked from central casting. She held numerous jobs including short order cook, supper club chef and shoe store sales, and, utilizing skills attained during her quest for her degree in English, legal secretary and reporter for the Grafton Sentinel. Jackie relocated to Annapolis in the early 80s. After brief stint working at PRS Guitars, and Free State Press, she started her own business that she called J. Fletcher Enterprises, offering bookkeeping, office management and even occasional detective work to a wide variety of clients including lawyers and many local musicians. Before purchasing her own home, Jackie lived in a somewhat historic and possibly haunted house that she shared with Eva Cassidy, a singer with an angelic voice who died young and became a posthumous international sensation. Jackie has contributed to keeping Eva's legend alive by staying in touch with record producers and disc jockeys, promoting her recordings. Jackie settled in Hillsmere Shores and continued her business up to her passing. She enjoyed gardening, music, theater and was an avid reader who had an eclectic taste favoring writers as diverse as Sebastian Junger and James McBride, but mostly enjoyed people and pets. Jackie was extraordinarily generous and opened her home to many people in need of shelter. Her house was also shared with her feline companions, the last of which was the incorrigible Mickey Bob Fletcher, who preceded her in death by three days. Jackie took helping others very seriously. She was a magnet who drew people to her for decades. Her tour de force was bringing people together. Many of Jackie's friends are now friends with each other because of her special gift. Jackie is the daughter of the late D.W. “Fletch”, “Capn Dad” Fletcher and Eva Fletcher. She is survived by brother Keith Fletcher of Annapolis, MD, sister and brother in law, artist and muralist Cindy Fletcher Holden, and Robert Holden of Pasadena MD, formerly of Annapolis MD. This obituary was written by Cindy Fletcher Holden, who believes that Jackie is editing and checking for grammar from the other side. Friends and family are invited to celebrate Jackie's life on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 2 pm at The Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, 333 Dubois Road, Annapolis, MD 21401. Online condolences may be made using the Memories tab on this page.