Jacki Bertness

Jacki McShannon Bertness went to her eternal rest on November 9, 2021, after a brief diagnosis of cancer.

Memorial Services will be a private family service held at a later date. Visitation will be Thursday, November 11, 2021 from 5-7:00 p.m. at the Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to People for Pets, Northwest Humane Society, or any other pet societies. The Sliefert Funeral Home in Sioux Rapids is in charge of arrangements.

Jacki McShannon Bertness went to her eternal rest on November 9, 2021, after a brief illness of Stage 4 cancer.

Jacki was the daughter of Ellis (Mac) and Shirley McShannon and was born at home near Crofton, Nebraska on November 27, 1960. She attended school in Little Rock, Iowa, graduating in 1979. 

Her professional education was obtained at Buena Vista University for one year followed by three years of St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Sioux City, Iowa. She proudly held the title of registered nurse.

In 1984, she married Marc Bertness in Little Rock, Iowa and then moved to Sioux Rapids, Iowa, where they lived and farmed. Jacki was the Director of Nursing of the Sioux Care Center for 30 years. Subsequently, she was a case management nurse for Stay-in-Home Healthcare until her passing. At the care center, a common refrain was “WWJD” or “what would Jacki do?”, this was due to her professional expertise, common sense, and competence, leveled with a healthy dose of Scottish wit and humor. 

Jacki and Marc traveled extensively, including trips to France, Italy, England, Scotland, and Canada plus many domestic trips in their motor home including Florida, Texas, and Colorado and points in between. Their weekends were spent in their lake house in Arnolds Park, Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mac and Shirley McShannon, and her sister Lynn.

Jacki is survived by her husband Marc; sister, Gwen (Rodd) Holtkamp of Primghar, Iowa; 8 nieces; 1 nephew; and extended family and friends.

She will long be lovingly remembered as an ardant champion of animals, especially her dogs and cats. What would Jacki do? Love her family, friends, and her furry children.

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