Jacqueline Ann (Reilly) Fenelon, 90, passed away October 3, 2025. She was the oldest of 8 children of Clair and Delphine (Sheehy) Reilly of Ossian, Iowa
After attending Marycrest College, Jacque worked for the Mayo Clinic in medical education and research and coordinated the medical resident program. While at Mayo, she also helped her family’s growing construction business. For 10 years, she worked in Rochester during the week and in Ossian on weekends, before moving to Chicago where she worked for the American Medical Association.
Following her return to Ossian, Jacque worked for Dr. Ignatius Greene before taking a position with the CFO of Control Data Corporation managing investor relations and financial audit execution.
In 1971, she was invited to join the Northeast Iowa Mental Health Center in Decorah, now called Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health. She started managing scheduling and billing operations and rose to her final role as Assistant Director. During her tenure, the organization grew from serving 3 counties to 9 counties and 7 locations.
In 1982, she initiated and led a community coalition to launch the Sunflower Childcare Center. With financial support from Roy Carlson and Clair Reilly, the center opened to the community. It has continued to grow through four decades of successive generations of community leadership and support into the institution now known as the Sunflower Child Development & Discovery Center. Jacque considered this her proudest leadership achievement.
Jacque retired in 1998 after leading the construction of the current facility next to WinnMed. With her vision and grant writing skills, she built a strong institution to help meet northeast Iowa’s behavioral health needs. In retirement, she pivoted to volunteering. She became a State Health Insurance Program Counselor, tutored elementary students, and worked with the Head Start program. Jacque volunteered at the Vesterheim Museum, and the Hospital Auxiliary, and was a member of Catholic Daughters and the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.
Jacque loved horses including her horse in Rochester and her brother’s Arabian horses. She looked forward to her Louisville, KY sister trips visiting racetracks and horse farms. Jacque enjoyed her final years at Decorah’s Wellington Place Assisted Living.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Fenelon, brother Bob Reilly, and sisters Maryann Mitchell, and Patricia Szabo.
Jacque is survived by sons Thomas (Karen) Fenelon, Dr. Chuck (Patti) Kinder, grandchildren Elizabeth (Brian) Greggs, Michael Fenelon, Jacquelyn Kinder, Ella Kinder, great-grandson Owen Greggs, and sisters Pamela (Allen) Kuennen, Kathleen (Mike) Costigan, Jeanie (Julius) Martinek, Cynthia Reilly, and many nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 am with a one hour visitation from 10 to 11 on Friday, October 24, 2025 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Ossian, Iowa with Rev. Donald Hertges as the Celebrant.
Inurnment will follow at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Cemetery in Ossian, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to Sunflower Child Development & Discovery Center or the Winneshiek County Senior Citizens Hospitality Center.