‘Small in stature, huge imprint’: Middleton remembers Mayor Jackie Hutchinson

As mourners arrived at Middleton High School, they were greeted by a three-story flag billowing from the outstretched ladder of Middleton Rural Fire Department’s Engine 51. An honor guard saluted, marking the arrival of an honorary procession of city police, fire and public works fleet vehicles.

The assemblage, about 150 strong, came to honor a woman who was “small in stature, but left a huge imprint on this city.”

The late mayor of Middleton, Jackie L. Hutchinson was eulogized Friday by state Sen. Tammy Nichols, longtime friend and neighbor Bob Yardley, and her successor, Mayor Tim O’Meara, as a strong leader who encouraged public engagement.

Hutchinson, 74, died Feb. 26 after battling cancer. She was in the third year of her four-year first term, having defeated incumbent Steve Rule and fellow challenger Tyson Sparrow in the November 2023 election, when Hutchinson won two-thirds of the vote.

Reading from an obituary prepared by Hutchinson’s family, pastor Jeremiah Campos recounted a life well lived.

“She was a very successful businesswoman, author, modeled for Nordstrom, all while raising children, recorded a record, drove a stern wheeler on the Columbia River,” Campos said. “She flew a plane in Belize, drove 100 miles per hour on a snowmobile, surfed, water-skied, studied ballet, and camped through much of British Columbia, She was proudest of being mayor of the town that she loved, Middleton.”

Nichols reflected on Hutchinson’s background, but said what stood out most was how she carried herself.

“There was an elegance to her,” Nichols told the audience. “She was articulate, poised and charismatic. She could walk into a room and command it, but never in a way that pushed people away. It drew people in.”

O’Meara, who served as City Council president before taking over as interim mayor office after Hutchinson’s death, spoke through tears.

“[Hutchinson] is quite a quality act to follow,” O’Meara told the audience, “she’s definitely left some big shoes to fill.”

In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, he described Hutchinson’s vision for improving the livability of Middleton, including upgrades to State Highway 44, the city’s main corridor. O’Meara said Hutchinson also secured funding to improve the city’s wastewater treatment plant, with construction expected to begin later this summer.

“She was diligent about getting an alternate route around town,” O’Meara said. “Making this happen was one of her passions, and we hope to see that through.”

Hutchinson is survived by her husband, five children, 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.