Obituary: Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Cristie Burkhardt, 53; Formerly Of Meriden

MERIDEN, CT — (From Wallingford Funeral Home): Jacqueline “Jackie” Cristie Burkhardt, 53, of Jensen Beach, FL, passed away surrounded by her loving family on June 20, 2023, after a courageous battle with lung disease. Born on September 10, 1969, in Bristol, CT to John C. Burkhardt and Patricia A. (Romaine) Phoenix, she was raised in Meriden, CT, and during her adult life she lived in Jensen Beach, FL, with her adoring mother and step-father Christopher Phoenix.

Jackie had a larger-than-life personality; she was a woman who would go through hell and fire if she loved you! She was a devoted mother whose entire life was dedicated to her children. She adored her grandson Vincent, and as an “Oma/Glamma" she enjoyed the quality time she had to bond with him. Her strong faith sustained her throughout the trials on this earth.

During her lifetime, Jackie had many employment positions including administrative assistant, sales associate, and bookkeeper. Her expertise was in numbers and calculations.

Jackie was a passionate pool player and played in APA, BCA, and VNEA leagues and was very accomplished and competitive. She won many awards and trips; specifically, her favorite was to Las Vegas. Her pool friends shared that they will keep “shooting the Skittles and lifesavers” for her.

Throughout her lifetime, she had many interests and extensive hobbies. She quoted movies interwoven through conversations and enjoyed singing out of tune to all genres of music. Jackie had a plethora of collections and was skilled at creating beautiful scrapbooks. While growing up, she loved playing cards with her father and family members.

The most unique quality Jackie had was story-telling. She always began with, “Do you remember…” She could remember and explain every detail of a situation, event, or special time. The celebrations and gatherings with her numerous cousins were some of her fondest memories. Her hearing was impeccable and “Grambo” always said, “Jackie doesn’t miss a trick!”

Besides Jackie’s parents and step-father, she is survived by her daughter Jacey Caitlyn Burkhardt and son-in-law Caleb Palma; precious grandson Vincent Leon Phoenix Palma; daughter Anna Marie Arsenault; brother Keith Burkhardt and nephew Bradley Burkhardt; sister Joanne Conte, brother-in-law Joel Conte, and her niece and nephew Rachel and Jacob Conte.

She is also survived by her aunt Karen Burkhardt Wasilewski, cousins Peter-John “JR” Wasilewski, and Charles Wasilewski (Lindsay) and family; aunt Denise Romaine Drozd; cousins Lindsay Drozd Fuller (Eric) and family, Matthew Drozd (Shauna) and family; and aunt Carol Romaine Weston (Scot).

She was predeceased by her beloved son, John Paul Arsenault; paternal grandparents Charles and Frieda Burkhardt; and maternal grandparents Arthur Romaine and Julia Massaro.

Jackie’s family would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to the dedicated staff at the Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital (MICU) for the compassionate and excellent care they provided during her stay. They would also like to thank Hospice of Martin County for helping Jackie transition into eternal rest and providing solace to the family.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jackie’s memory may be made to the American Lung Association at https://www.lung.org and/or to the March of Dimes at https://www.marchofdimes.org. For online condolences, please visit https://www.allcounty.com/.

For more information, visit Wallingford Funeral Home here.