Jacqueleen "Jackie" Virginia (Loughery) Schwietzer

Jacqueleen Virginia Loughery was born on April 18,1930 in Brooklyn, New York to Joseph and Ellen (nee Avery) Loughery. Her father was a Naval intelligence specialist during WW II who later worked for ITT. Her mother, known as Ella came from a musical Brooklyn family with Southern antecedents. Living in Flatbush, Jackie attended New York’s St. Francis Xavier Academy for Young Ladies. From an early age, Jackie was a beautiful and vivacious child, and her mother encouraged her show business aspirations. During her teens she worked as a print model and a dancer in a New Orleans nightclub. She was crowned Miss New York State and Miss Rockaway. In 1952 she won the first ever Miss United States of America contest which led to a contract with Universal Pictures. Jackie came out to Hollywood, which would end up being home for the rest of her life. She was a prolific actress during the Golden Age of TV with playing lead characters in shows such as Judge Roy Bean and Mr. District Attorney. She was a popular guest star on many TV Westerns including Steve McQueen’s Wanted series. She worked closely with both Jack Benny and Johnny Carson. Her movie roles culminated in a lead role in Pardners the Western comedy with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. She had a striking turn as blonde femme fatale in Jack Webb’s film The D.I. Jackie decided to retire from the business in the 60’s but remained in her beloved Encino. She worked in banking until her retirement in the early 90s. She remained active as a Miss USA representative and occasional judge.

Jackie was married three times. Her first husband was the crooner Guy Mitchell, they divorced in 1954. She was married to Jack Webb from 1958 to 1964, they shared homes in Encino, Palm Springs and an apartment on the Republic Pictures lot in Studio City. Jackie’s final marriage was to Gelson’s executive Jack Schwietzer. They remained together in their Encino home from 1969 to Jack’s death in 2009. Besides for Jack, the love of Jackie’s life were her dogs, mostly miniature poodles and mostly always with her.

Survivors include her cousins Dalton Avery of Concord, MA, Deanna Avery of Los Angeles, and her lifelong friends Mari Brown of Colorado and Pauline Ganz and Alan Rodriguez of Arizona.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.neptunesociety.com/location/thousand-oaks-california for the Schwietzer family.