Born in St. Louis, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1959 and was received into the novitiate in 1960 as Sister Marie Brendan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in secretarial science from Fontbonne College in 1964, a master’s degree in education from Indiana University in 1970, and a doctorate in higher education administration from Indiana University in 1975, where she also supervised student teachers in the southern Indiana region.

Sister Jacqueline began her ministry as a junior high teacher in Georgia in 1964 and then taught at a high school in Denver the next year.

She taught at Valle High School in St. Genevieve until 1968. She then taught in Kansas City, Missouri, until 1970. She returned to Valle High School and taught there for three more years.

Sister Jacqueline was a faculty member at St. Louis Community College at Meramec for nearly a year. From 1976-79, she served as the executive director of residents at Kirkwood House for Older Adults. She was the program director/coordinator at St. Louis Area Agency on Aging in 1979.

In 1980, she began a 23-year career at Harris-Stowe State University as an associate professor and professor of education. Sister Jacqueline served her CSJ community as a provincial councilor from 2002-08, as well as an aging consultant/coordinator from 2003-06 for the St. Louis province. She then returned as a professor at Harris-Stowe.

Since 2011, Sister Jacqueline resided at Nazareth Living Center. Funeral arrangements are pending.