Jacqueline "Jackie" Packer

Jacqueline Irene (Alfstad) Packer, lovingly known as Jackie, was born on July 30, 1945, to Norman and Irene (Ellingson) Alfstad in Rolette, North Dakota. The family moved frequently during Jackie’s childhood, including years in Minot, Rapid City, Wilmar and Grand Forks before she graduated from high school in West Fargo in 1963. She continued her education at Joseph’s School of Hair Design in Fargo where she learned how to create a mean beehive!

While dragging Broadway in Fargo with friends, she met the love of her life, Don Packer. They married on September 25, 1965 and settled at the Packer family farm, sharing the main farmstead with Don’s parents, Clarence and Alvina. They would later move to a rental farmstead several miles away, eventually settling into their own home purchased from Steve and Ruth Kava in 1994.

Jackie embraced her role as a farm homemaker and stay-at-home mom throughout the early years of raising their three children: Ed, Ann, and Kenn. As the kids got older, she began embroidering clothing for a local crafter, eventually deciding to break out on her own. She spent many years selling her handmade jewelry and clothing at craft fairs throughout the region. Her years moving during high school gave her an extraordinary gift of how to get to know new people and she maintains deep friendships with fellow crafters and customers to this day.

Both Don and Jackie were very involved with Soil & Water Conservation over the years, volunteering for annual events and traveling with the group to various destinations throughout the US. Later in life, Jackie’s dream travel experience came true when she was able to visit Norway, Sweden and Denmark and experience her Scandinavian heritage firsthand. A voracious reader and researcher, Jackie tracked down distant cousins and made connections prior to the trip. She was able to visit her great grandparents’ home farm and be in a small village in Norway for Syttende mai (Norway’s national independence holiday) where they held a traditional parade with vintage costumes. It was a great adventure! 

Following retirement from crafting, Jackie focused on other creative pursuits and hobbies. She bought and sold antiques, collected and traded Trollbeads as well as explored and researched her family tree. In each case, the result was the same: an expanded group of friends and family that knew her to be a funny and practical person that was a heck of a lot of fun to visit with! Jackie was passionate about animals, particularly dogs and birds. That met its limit if you were a dog who wanted to mess with the birds however. Birds were her definite favorite. Jackie was a skilled gardener and a gifted photographer. She often combined all of her hobbies by sharing images via social media and in local calendars. 

Jackie’s greatest highlight of the past 21 years was her seven grandchildren. She planned her calendar far in advance, making sure she would be at every football game, basketball game, band concert, dance competition, skate show, hockey game, volleyball match or cross country meet that she could. Most recently, she went on a 500 mile adventure to Chicago to see her oldest grandson’s final college football game. She was her usual talkative, determined self and it’s hard to believe it was less than 3 months ago. Following a short illness that felt very, very long, Jackie passed away from complications of pancreatic cancer on February 4, 2025.

After a sometimes turbulent childhood, Jackie was most proud of the strong and faithful family she built including her devoted husband of 59 years, Don Packer; their three children, Ed (Nancy) Packer of Maplewood, MN, Ann (Brian) Packer-Smith of Roseville, MN, Kenn (Andrea) Packer of Barnesville, MN; and seven fabulous grandchildren: Chase Smith, Evan Packer, Kenna Smith, Rachel Packer, Grant Smith, Megan Packer, and Taryn Packer. She also held a special place in her heart for her niece, Kim Bartz, along with many other dear relatives and friends.

Jackie was preceded in death by her parents, Norman and Irene Alfstad, siblings, Gary Alfstad, Sherry Johnson and Bob Alfstad, her favorite aunt, Inez Ellingson, Don’s parents, Clarence and Alvina Packer and her in-laws Ray and Bonnie Packer and Mick Bergeron.

Visitation will be from 3-5 PM, Monday, February 10, 2025, at First Lutheran Church (619 Broadway Ave N) in Fargo, ND. Followed by a Celebration of Life at 5:00 PM, Monday. Interment will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, Barnesville, MN in the spring. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a come-as-you-are event. Jackie would not care if you showed up in jeans, tennis shoes, boots or barn clothes, so long as you came by to get a hug. We live that way in her honor. 

Online memories and condolences may be shared at www.KorsmoFuneralService.com