The Reverend Jessie Lee Ciupek
The Rev. Jessie Lee Ciupek was born in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas on Sept. 22, 1921 and died Sept. 28, 2017 after a brief illness. She was the mother of Springville resident Rev. Patricia Ciupek. Rev. Jessie was preceded in death by parents, Henry and Velma Acree, her husband of 62 years, Stephen S. Ciupek, brothers Bill, Jay, Ted and Tom, daughters Gloria Sue O’kelley and Donna Lindsay, sons Earl O’kelley and Tony Ciupek, and grandson Stephen A Ciupek.
She is survived by her brother Bobby Acree (Rufa), daughters Shirley O’kelley (Edwin Ventocilla), Kathlyn Pollard (Jim) and Patricia Ciupek and son, Paul Ciupek (Melinda) and daughter-in-law Kira Ciupek. She also leaves 18 grandchildren and at least 16 great and great-great grandchildren.
Rev. Ciupek worked as a CNA at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis MO, at a hostess at the USO in Vallejo, CA, and as a bookkeeper for Montgomery Wards. In 1963 she was a charter member of American Canyon Community Church, and served in Christian Education. In 1967-71 she lived in Subic Bay, Philippines with her family and provided practical support for many missionaries and evangelists. In 1974 she founded Noah’s Ark Christian Preschool in American Canyon, CA. As Director she trained many teachers, touching the lives of hundreds of children and families. In 1987 she responded to the AIDS epidemic by training as a lay chaplain at San Francisco General Hospital, continuing ministry to AIDS patients and their loved ones through 1994. She provided AIDS ministry education and advocacy to Baptist churches throughout northern California.
In 1996 she completed her Master of Divinity degree at the American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, CA. After being ordained by American Baptist Churches USA she served four congregations as a transitional interim minister. Rev. Jessie, her daughter Rev. Patricia, and her granddaughter Rev. Rachel became the first 3-generation group of women to graduate from the Graduate Theological Union and be ordained. From 2004 she was Associate Pastor of American Canyon Community Church, where she was made Pastor Emerita in 2014. Between the ages of 88 and 94 she traveled to Alaska, Texas, New York, Indiana, Illinois, Washington, Idaho, Arizona and throughout California. She believed that true Christian faith calls believers to extend practical love and friendship to all people, especially to those in crisis and those who have been neglected by the church.
Her family extends heartfelt gratitude to the nurses, social workers and spiritual care team of Sierra View Medical Center and Sierra Valley Rehab Center, for their kind, competent care and concern.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 21 at 11:00 a.m. at American Canyon Community Church, 2 Andrew Road, American Canyon, CA 94533. Memorial donations may be made to the ministry of Noah’s Ark Christian Preschool at the same address, OR to the Caring Fund at Trinity Lutheran Church in Porterville, CA.