Jacqueline “Jack” Cleckler Nemir, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, businesswoman, cook, animal lover, traveler, and character in every sense of the word, passed away surrounded by love. She leaves behind a lifetime of stories, laughter, treasured memories, and more than a few tales that may or may not have been completely true—but Jack was always happy to tell them anyway.

Jack was born February 28, 1938, in Roscoe, Texas, to Birtice and Wanda Leigh Cleckler. The only girl among five children, she grew up with four brothers and developed the quick wit, determination, and strong personality that would become her trademarks.

A proud graduate of Roscoe High School in 1956, Jack was a high school majorette and basketball player and even played basketball for a short time at San Angelo State University. But perhaps her most important teenage accomplishment was meeting her childhood sweetheart in the first grade. She and Bill Nemir married in 1957 and remained together for 57 years, until his passing in 2014.

Jack was a devoted mother and a Girl Scout leader, but she was also an accomplished and remarkably astute businesswoman. She had an uncanny ability to know the value of just about anything—from farm equipment to fine cut glass—and she could spot a treasure where others might see nothing special.

Her entrepreneurial spirit took many forms. She was an antique dealer, refinishing countless antique pieces and reframing valuable works of art in her framing shop. In the 1970s, she ran her family’s motorcycle shop in Louisiana. She loved the thrill of the hunt and enjoyed traveling on antique treasure tours and casino junkets, always ready for the next adventure and the next great find.

Jack was also an exceptional cook, best known by family and friends for her legendary bread pudding recipes. Her cooking was one of the many ways she showed love, although those lucky enough to have tasted her bread pudding might argue that it was also a form of culinary magic.

And then there were her potholders.

Jack became known as the “Potholder Lady,” making beautiful quilted potholders and selling them at local craft fairs. They became so popular that people would seek them out from miles away. Jack had a knack for turning ordinary things into something useful, beautiful, and uniquely hers.

Her love for animals was fierce and unconditional. She never seemed to meet a stray she couldn’t feed or water. Neighborhood cats, ducks in the park, and birds in Walmart parking lots all had a friend in Jack. If an animal needed something, Jack was likely to notice—and likely to do something about it. Her two best furry friends, Fatty and Slim, remained faithfully by her side until the very end.

Jack’s sense of humor was legendary. Quick-witted and never afraid to deliver a perfectly timed comment, she could keep people laughing with a look, a story, or one of her unmistakable observations. She loved telling stories from her younger days, including her oft-repeated tale about the time Elvis took her for a spin around the Star Drive-in in Sweetwater but she cut it short because she didn’t want Bill to be mad. She also loved recounting the time she sang backup for Mickey Gilley in Shreveport, Louisiana.

One of her favorite pastimes was “making drags” in Haskell, another chapter in the colorful collection of memories that made Jack’s life uniquely her own.

Jack was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill Nemir, and her son, Kip Nemir.

She is survived by her daughters, Kacye (Rico) Watson and Kim Nemir, whom she lovingly and repeatedly referred to as “the one that never married.” She is also survived by her grandchildren, Brennan (Cori) Washington and Brooks Watson of ; her great-grandchildren, Hunter, Watson, Easton, and Ezra; brothers , Lewis Cleckler and Stanley Cleckler and her two devoted furry companions, Fatty and Slim.

Jack leaves behind much more than a family. She leaves behind recipes that will be recreated, antiques that will be treasured, potholders that will continue to brighten kitchens, animals who were cared for because she noticed them, and stories that will be told again and again—probably with a few new details added each time.

She lived life on her own terms, loved fiercely, worked hard, traveled widely, cooked generously, rescued relentlessly, and laughed often. And if there is a place beyond this life where old sweethearts meet again, treasures are waiting to be discovered, animals need feeding, and a good story needs telling, Jack is undoubtedly already there.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00am, Friday, August 14, 2026, at Willow Cemetery, South 7th Street, Haskell, Texas. Mr. Paul Irby will be officiating under the direction of Smith Family Funeral Homes, Haskell.

Online condolences can be shared with the family at www.smithfamilyfh.com.