Jacqueline Kelly-Tisher: Instilling hope and touching hearts

MOHALL, N.D. ( KXNET ) — Instead of giving up after losses in life, she made a difference in the world around her and instills hope to many. That’s why she’s someone you should know.

For those who know Jacqueline Kelly-Tisher, they know she has a special soul. She grew up in Mohall, where her parents owned the local pizza place — that’s where she claims she got her hard work ethic from.

“I mean, she started working at a young age and helping us out in there and, I mean, she was always just a shining light and everybody loved her,” said Jeanie Kelly-Stromswold, Jacque’s mom.

Jacque went on to graduate from Mohall High School in 1985. After that, she studied Theology in Regina, Saskatchewan, where she met her first husband. She then changed her path to become an emergency nurse.

The same year she graduated nursing school, Acacia was born in 1993.

“She changed my whole world,” said Jacque.

Acacia was the light in their life. While a happy baby, she faced many challenges including spina bifida and hydrocephalus, enduring more than 13 surgeries in her first 10 months of life. This, however, did not stop Jacque and her husband from continuing to grow their family — Victoria was born in 1996.

Jacque suffered two miscarriages, losing Angelica in 1998 and Thomas in 2000.

Isaac was then born in 2002.

Much of Jacque’s time was spent in the hospital with Acacia, which was a blessing in disguise, as that is where she met baby Hope.

“I fell in love with the kids at the hospital, and Hope was one of them,” said Jacque.

Hope was born in 2003, and passed away at just 10 months old. Wanting to continue fostering children, she started fostering another child, Tyson, in 2004. She realized there were many more children like Hope and Tyson who needed specialized care, as well as the families of those children who needed support.

“These kids change exactly who you are and what you end up doing with your life. So, after 13 years of my job in intensive care, I quit my job and began what’s known as Hope’s Home today,” stated Jacque.

Today, Hope’s legacy lives on through what is Hope’s Home , a facility in Regina providing care for children with complex medical needs through early learning and childcare services. There are now three supportive living homes and seven medically inclusive early learning and childcare centers supporting nearly 500 children in total. Hope’s Home also offers care for siblings of children who have complex medical needs.

While Jacque grew Hope’s Home, her daughter Acacia continued to battle her own health challenges. But this did not stop her from helping others along the way.

“I would say she was the most intuitive little empath that I ever knew,” said Jacque. “I believe she was like an angel on earth. If you can imagine this little 2 to 3-year-old little girl wheeling around in this tiny little wheelchair. I think she got her first one when she was 18 months and she had these sparkly bright blue eyes.”

Acacia passed away in 2011 at the age of 18.

Around 2018, Jacque met the love of her life, Jason, at a retirement party and before long, he popped the question. Due to the closure of the northern border 2020, their plans to build a life together in Canada came to a halt.

So they stayed in the Mohall area, when the Naked Moose, a local bar-restaurant in Loraine, went up for sale. They couldn’t pass up the opportunity, and deemed it the Naked Moose II.

“So, we took over July 1st, and sadly, on the 23rd of the same month of 2020 in July, Jason was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease,” said Jacque with a tear in her eye.

Jacque would spend the next two years at Jason’s side as he tried to fight the deadly disease with back-and-forth visits to Mayo Clinic to be part of a stem cell trial treatment.

“ALS is 100 percent terminal and ALS is probably one of the most evil diseases anyone could ever go through,” explained Jacque as she fought back tears.

The love of her life died in 2022. This left Jacque wondering what to do with the restaurant now that her carpenter had passed away and the building needed to be completely repaired on the inside.

Jacque, business partner Barb Johnson, and many family and friends worked together to bring Jason’s vision to life by giving the Naked Moose II a whole new facelift.

“To me, it’s a dream come true. I love being her partner and sidekick and it has turned out to exactly what both of us had wanted,” said Barb Johnson.

“She’s just a shining light. And she’s open and honest and fair and loving and kind and she makes everybody feel special,” explained Jacque’s mom.

“Everybody goes through the grief cycles, you know, that’s normal. But, I think what you do after with it, makes a huge difference,” said Jacque. “No one should ever have to bury their daughter. After that, I was like, ‘I want to make the world better.’ Going through that experience and losing those children, that’s all I want to do. It’s a choice and it’s not easy, ’cause loss keeps happening. You know, even after Jason, I could’ve been sad and just walked away from the Moose, but I said no, I want to make it better.”

Fostering hope and touching lives, Jacqueline Kelly-Tisher is Someone You Should Know.

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