Jacqueline J. Elderkin passed away peacefully the evening of July 25, 2026 at the age of 96.

Born in Bingham, Maine on Feb. 21, 1930, and raised in Skowhegan, she was the daughter of Philip and Marion Jacques. Jackie developed a love and passion for music at an early age and was an accomplished violinist earning her admission to the Boston University School of Music where she commenced her higher education. She later attended the University of Maine at Orono and graduated from the Maine Teachers College at Farmington.

Working a summer job at the Sprucewold Inn in Boothbay Harbor, she met John Elderkin, a Southport summer resident and they soon married and settled in Boothbay, buying an old farm on Back River Road. Jackie began teaching at the Boothbay Center School before starting a family.

Tired of shoveling snow, the family began spending winters in Sarasota, Florida in the early 1960s, moving north and south in the family’s countless Pontiac station wagons. A devoted wife and mother, Jackie always ensured her homes were warm, welcoming and immaculate. In Sarasota, Jackie loved having all the kids in the neighborhood to the house and all through the ’70s the driveway in front and the dock out the back were popular spots for kids to congregate.

It was on the family farm in Maine that Jackie was truly at home and she embraced her passion for developing beautiful gardens, growing fresh vegetables and flowers and entertaining family and friends on the deck with spectacular sunsets and views extending to the White Mountains.

Summers in Maine were magic, and she ferried hordes of kids back and forth between the Southport Yacht Club and Knickerbocker Lake in her giant 1953 Packard. Before seat belts, fear of ticks and lake horsepower restrictions, her kids and their friends would roam the fields and waterski until dark while Spanker, the family Golden Retriever, would race to the lake at the mere mention of it.

Later in life, she loved mowing the expansive lawns with gusto and was frequently seen perched atop “The Green Machine,” her cherished John Deere tractor. Resourceful and creative, Jackie never missed an opportunity to repurpose anything useful and waste was not in her vocabulary.

She loved to volunteer at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and delighted in touring the gardens with her grandchildren when they were young.

She is survived by her three children: Laurie Dowling (predeceased by husband Mike Dowling) of Southport and Florida; Susan Elderkin (husband Joe Hughes) of Orrs Island; and Jed Elderkin and his wife Evie (née Friant) of Sydney, Australia. She is also survived by a sister, Carol Jacques of Philadelphia, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband, John Elderkin; her sister, Pat Gaudet; and her brother, Bobby Jacques.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff at St Andrews Village, particularly in the Gregory Wing for the comfort and care extended to her in her final days.

A private service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, if you wish, please make a donation to the Boothbay Region YMCA Camp K Fund.