Former corrections officer from Greensburg loved family, games
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Under normal circumstances, it might be concerning for a former county jail inmate to come walking up and say hello to a longtime corrections officer.
But for Jacqueline Learn of Greensburg it was just another part of her day.
“Even the prisoners called her ‘Miss Jackie,’” said Ms. Learn’s brother, Stephen Opsitnick Jr. of Export. “I can remember being in places and a prisoner who’d been released would recognize and come up to say hello. They all respected her.”
Jacqueline (Opsitnick) Learn of Greensburg died Sunday, March 29, 2020. She was 72.
Ms. Learn was born March 13, 1948, at Westmoreland Hospital, the daughter of Helen (Biesuz) Opsitnick and the late Stephen N. Opsitnick of Export.
She grew up on Italy Road in Export and after a previous marriage lived in Delmont, New Alexandria and eventually Greensburg.
“I was a lot younger, so she was always the one who kind of took care of us,” Opsitnick said. “My nephew and I are only two years apart, and my sister would take us to stay with her in Delmont.”
The family frequently got together at its camp in Sheffield, Warren County, as well as for picnics and birthday parties.
Ms. Learn spent several years working as a hairstylist.
“She worked at a couple different places, and also cut hair on her own,” Opsitnick said. “When she started out at the jail, it was just part time for eight or 10 years. But she ended up getting a full-time position and worked there until she retired in 2009.”
In all, Ms. Learn spent nearly three decades as a corrections officer.
“There was an opportunity for her to have a little bit more of a stable career and get a pension,” said her son, Dr. Scott Learn of New Stanton. “I did dentistry at the prison, and so it was nice to be able to see her once a week.”
Learn said it was interesting to see his mother in her professional capacity.
“I knew she had it in her, but she was definitely well-respected down there,” he said.
In her free time, Ms. Learn raised cockatiel birds and enjoyed a wide variety of games.
“She loved to play bingo, and really loved to play any games,” Opsitnick said. “My niece would get her online and she’d play bingo and all kinds of other games on Facebook.”
Opsitnick’s niece, Lisa Forbes of Greensburg, said her mother was a jack-of-all-trades.
“When she bought her home, she did a lot of the work herself and became very independent after splitting from my dad,” Forbes said.
Family was also very important to Ms. Learn.
“I would take my mother to her house a lot so they could spend the day together,” Opsitnick said. “She was a very loving and friendly person. If you met her one time, she’d leave an impression on you.”
Ms. Learn is survived by her brother, Stephen N. Opsitnick Jr. and wife Jennifer, of Export; daughter, Lisa M. Forbes, of Greensburg; and son, Dr. Scott E. Learn and wife Jennifer, of New Stanton; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Interment will be private.