Jackie Todaro Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Jackie Todaro passed away on March 21, aged 95. Memorial services will be at the Polk Baptist Church in Polk, NE on April 28, 2018 at 10 a.m. with Pastor Mark Hartley officiating. Inurnment will be held at the Laclede Cemetery near Polk. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.soltwagnerfuneral.com. She was born on August 25, 1922 in Polk, NE, daughter of the late Maurice and Elva Lindburg. She had three younger brothers: Dale (b. 1928), and twins James and Maurice Junior (b. 1924), who have predeceased her. . She and her family grew up on a farm where they raised chickens, dairy cows, pigs and grew wheat, corn and milo. They raised many foods in a garden, and had many fruit trees. Horses were used to plow fields before they used tractors and 18 hour days were common. Having the dairy cows and chickens saved them during the dust bowl and depression. They were self sufficient. Jackie graduated from high school in 1939 and in 1944 graduated as an RN from the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Denver, CO. She was a member of the hospital's Cadet nurses. She married Charles Todaro in May, 1944, in Polk, before he shipped off to England. After the war the couple traveled by train to NY and she passed state exams in 1946 allowing her to work in NY. She worked first at Jamaica Hospital (Queens), and then the Orthopedic Hospital in NYC. After moving to Port Washington on the north shore of Long Island she worked at the renowned North Shore Hospital. Jackie and Charles, with their two children Vicki (b. 1946) and Dale (b. 1951) moved to Emmaus, PA in 1959. Jackie worked at the Cedarbrook Nursing Home, Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown General Hospital, and did private duty nursing for 10 years before retiring in 1989. After retiring Jackie was very active in the AARP. Beginning in 1990 she took and passed exams to be able to provide free state and federal tax returns, a service provided by the AARP. She was the first woman to join the service agency in Emmaus. She did this work for 16 years. Jackie was a member of the Emmaus Garden club and was past President. She also volunteered as an on-call nurse with the Emmaus Ambulance Corps. She was cited by the City of Emmaus as a woman of the week with her picture in the newspaper because of her outstanding service to the community. She moved to Norwalk, CT to be with her son Dale and wife Noriko in August 2015. Jackie is survived by her son Dale, Noriko and Vicki, and numerous nieces and nephews. She loved to play her Wurlitzer Percussion Organ and traveled extensively around the world, visiting some 20 countries. She always had a garden and did a great deal of baking. She was a friend to everyone she met and loved by everyone who knew her. After a conversation with Jackie, you always felt better.

Jackie Todaro

August 25, 1922 - March 21, 2018