SACO – Jacqueline R. McNabb, 85, an independent woman who entered the workforce as an airline stewardess and retired as a nationally recognized reading specialist for the Saco school system, died unexpectedly Monday while being treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Jackie, the daughter of the late Irving Langille and Frances (Langille) Grey, grew up in Windham and attended South Portland High School, graduating in 1951. Two years later she graduated from Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass., and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, to become a stewardess.

She returned to Maine in 1960, with her son Michael after a brief marriage that ended when Michael’s father died in an automobile accident. She subsequently met and married Paul V. McNabb in 1961. They settled in the Kinney Shores neighborhood of Saco where they raised a daughter and a son. Paul died in 1987. She continued living in their home, remaining active until the time of her death.

Jackie worked as an office manager for Portland architectural and construction firms before enrolling at the University of Southern Maine in the 1970s to pursue a degree in elementary education. She taught in South Portland and Kennebunk before joining the Saco school system in 1978.

She subsequently earned a master’s degree and helped launch and sustain Saco’s hugely successful Reading Recovery Program. In 2004, as she was winding up her teaching career, she was recognized by Who’s Who Among American Teachers as “a distinguished educator for contributions made to the education of our nation’s youth.”

After retiring, she worked as a substitute teacher at Saco Middle School.

Jackie, who drove herself everywhere until this past December, loved attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, and was anticipating the birth in May of her first great-grandchild. Favorite activities, in addition to spending time with family, included picking blueberries and strawberries.

She also remained involved in planning high school reunions and previously served as treasurer of the Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. She was a member of the Maine Teachers Association and the York County Retired Teachers Association.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by two brothers, Irving Langille and Howard Langille.

She is survived by a brother, Ronald Langille of Saco; a sister, Genevieve Langille of Windham; two sons, Michael Lewis (and partner Sharon Rozzi) of Windham and Lance McNabb of Saco; a daughter, Laura Hodgkins (David) of Saco; three grandchildren, Daniel Laskey (Bridget) of Yarmouth, and Alysson Laskey and Erin Laskey, both of Saco; and many nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 26 at Cote Funeral Home, 87 James St., Saco. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 27 at Most Holy Trinity Church, 271 Main St., Saco.

To share memories or leave online condolences for the family, please visit www.cotefuneralhome.com