Jacqueline V. Wool, a longtime Concord resident, passed away February 3, 2025 at age 86.
Born in Toulon, France, on August 8, 1938, Jacqueline was a gracious and giving friend, a loving mother and grandmother, an adventurous traveler, and an inveterate lover of books, birds, and Asian art. With her late husband, Sheldon Wool, she enjoyed watching the birds that would visit their home on the Assabet River. Together they traveled the world, from the Galapagos Islands to following the Silk Road across Asia.
Jacqueline also became the proprietor of Books with a Past, a used and antiquarian bookstore in Concord, where she nurtured her love of books, particularly books about Concord history and authors, as well as the memoirs and accounts of women who enjoyed traveling to faraway and exotic destinations as much as she did.
Jacqueline and Sheldon were married in 1984, only months after meeting on a hayride on a blind date arranged by friends. The mother of Christopher and the late Natalie Hill, Jacqueline was devoted to her three granddaughters Sophie, Althea, and Lucy; her daughter-in-law Susan Flicop; and Sheldon’s daughter Sarah Breimer and her husband Lars.
Raised in Morocco and Senegal, she moved to Paris with her parents, Yvonne and Jacques Vincent, a veteran of the Gaullist army and several military campaigns in North Africa and Europe. After graduating from Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Paris, Jacqueline moved to this country in 1960, where she married Robert Hill, and eventually settled in Winchester to raise Christopher and Natalie. Jacqueline taught French at MIT and, after marrying Sheldon, moved with him to Concord in 1986.
Although she lived in this country for decades, she never lost her French accent and love of her native language, holding conversation sessions in French for those who wished to learn and practice the language. Jacqueline’s home was always open to family and friends for celebrations, and she especially loved to share a glass of champagne, wonderful food, and lively conversation with her many friends.
A celebration of Jacqueline’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 22 at the Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, followed by a reception at the Colonial Inn. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to Mass Audubon.
Arrangements are under the care of Concord Funeral Home, concordfuneral.com.
