Virginia M. ’Jackie’ Torkildson

Jackie was born Virginia Margaret to Lars and Bertha Imm Sahlberg in rural Hawley, MN on January 10th, 1930. She died June 7th, 2008. She had been fighting an ongoing battle with severe back pain that had been thought to be the cause of her rapidly debilitating condition. On Tuesday, June 3rd, the doctors finally found and diagnosed cancer that at this point was no longer treatable. She left us peacefully just after midnight Saturday with most of her family by her side.Jackie was baptized April 29th, 1931 and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Moorhead on May 20th, 1945. She married Loren A. Torkildson January 29, 1949 at Trinity. They had 5 children who survive her, David Diana Torkildson and their children Laura Bryan Femrite, Kelly Torkildson, Darren Cossette, Jana Cossette and great-grandson Oliver Cossette, Ted Kathy Torkildson and their children Chris, Nick and Stephanie Torkildson, James Susan Torkildson and their children Krissy Donovan Nelson, Katherine Derrick Cassidy, great-grandson Anthony Cassidy and Mike Commiskey, Lorrie Martin Meier and their daughter Karlie and Kari Steve Benson and daughter Mikal. Jackie and Loren divorced in 1970.Raising 5 kids was obviously the typical task that led to den motherhood with our Cub Scouts pack, Baseball Mom in those days and even included driving down the road for homing pigeon training. Even after her life threatening car accident in 1959 that left her hospitalized for four months, she kept up a rigorous pace, never letting anyone down.Jackie pursued additional education and received her clerical diploma in 1968 from Moorhead Tech and graduated from Alexandria Tech in 1970 from their Fashion Merchandising Program. She worked in retail sales at Scheels, Diana Shops and Buttreys in Fargo with a couple brief interruptions to join her sister Rose in Inverness, Illinois. In 1980 she joined United Blood Services and worked as a certified phlebotomist until 1995 when she retired. Since retirement she had kept quite busy "lakeing' during the summer, casino junkets to Laughlin, NV, winter trips to Arizona with Dave and Di and California trips to visit Kari. Jackie had done considerable travel all over the country with sister Corky and her husband Ed Raymond. THANK YOU CORKY AND ED!!!. Not only did she become a master at Yahtze and Upwords despite the fact she never could get any vowels, creating a constant challenge for Lorrie, Diana, Hazel and Krissy, she found time to yak with her buds and neighbors, Hazel and Mavis who's company and companionship she cherished.Jackie left behind brother Robert Sahlberg of Sharon, ND, sisters Cordelia Ed Raymond of Pelican Lake, Elsie Jeral of Hawley and Dorothy Bruce Barnes of Homer, Alaska. In addition, the scores of nieces, nephews and cousins! Waiting to greet Jackie at Heavens Gate are her parents Lars and Bertha, her sisters Jean and Mary Sahlberg, Evie Holm, Rose Mahedy and grandson Cory Torkildson.It goes without saying that Jackie was loved by all and will be missed greatly, but as we all told her at the hospital, we'll all be okay but very sad without her. We love you Mom, Grandma, Sister, Mother-in-law, Aunt, Cousin and Friend.Click url\=http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackietorkildson/ here /url to view Jackie's Caring Bridge site.