Country star Reba McEntire's mother, Jacqueline McEntire, passed away on March 14, 2020 after a battle with cancer. She was 93.
One year later, Reba shared a video dedicated to her mom. Set to "You Never Gave Up on Me" off Reba's Stronger Than the Truth album, it features clips and photos of McEntire with her mother throughout the years. A memorial was also planned by the family to honor Jacqueline. Having waited throughout the pandemic to celebrate Jacqueline's life in a public setting, Reba announced today that those plans have been put on hold due to the deadly surge in cases of Covid-19. Considering the increasingly dangerous Delta variant, Reba remarked that her mother "would scold us to pieces for putting on a memorial on her behalf with so many lives in danger of Covid exposure."
In Memory of Jacqueline McEntire
Reba McEntire's Touching Video Tribute
In 2020, McEntire shared a tribute to her mother on social media, reflecting on her full life:
"Our Mother, Jacqueline McEntire, made that wonderful cross over into Heaven today," McEntire wrote on social media last year. "She had a wonderful, full, healthy life and was absolutely ready to go. The cancer might think it won the battle but we're giving God all the credit on selecting the time for her to go home to Him. She was ready to see our Daddy, her mama and daddy and all her family and friends."
After announcing that she would temporarily postpone her mother's funeral and burial due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, McEntire and her family were able to have a small gathering to say goodbye to Jacqueline.
On March 31, 2020, McEntire shared photos from her mother's funeral.
"This is us always having each other's backs. Tight knit family. She taught us that," McEntire wrote.
The McEntires
McEntire's father, Clark McEntire, died in 2014. The country music superstar shared that she, her siblings and the whole family talked with Jacqueline before she passed away:
"Down here, Alice, Pake, Susie and I, grandkids and great grandkids all got to visit with her either in person or over the phone. She left knowing how much she is loved and we all know how much she loved us. We are very thankful for all the prayers, cards, calls, visits, the care-givers with their huge hearts, and the time God gave us with Mama," McEntire wrote. "Jackie, Jac, Ms McEntire, Mama, Mama Jac, Momo Jac, Grandma, Grandma Jac, whatever the title was at the time - she gave you her undivided attention. We're all going to miss her but we have so many wonderful memories. Thank you Lord for that."
Jackie, Jac, Ms McEntire, Mama, Mama Jac, Momo Jac, Grandma, Grandma Jac, whatever the title was at the time - she gave you her undivided attention. We’re all going to miss her but we have so many wonderful memories. Thank you Lord for that. pic.twitter.com/NUhkRdWWKW
— Reba McEntire (@reba) March 14, 2020
During a May appearance on Today, the country singer told co-host Hoda Kotb that quarantining with her sister, Susie, and her brother-in-law, Mark, proved to be a "true blessing."
"I got to stay there at Mama's house and help ... clean everything out," McEntire said. "We had so many great times, going through drawers and boxes, and found pictures we'd never seen before, and we cried, we laughed, we toasted Mama. It was just an absolute, huge blessing to get to do that."
McEntire also told Kotb about how the personal beliefs celebrated on 2017 album Sing It Now: Songs of Faith can help pull us all through troubling times.
"They can always turn to God, have their faith really step up and take control and believe that there's going to be a better day," McEntire said. "When you can, take this time to stop, smell the roses and just reconfirm why you're here, and just take time for your family, your friends."
Editor's Note: A version of this article was originally published on March 15, 2021.
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