Jacquelyn (Jacci) Bigler Weller was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on March 29, 1941. She died in Moab on April 4, 2025.
She is survived by her brother, Craig Bigler, also of Moab; her niece, Susan Ziebarth of Boise, Idaho; her nephew, Mike Bigler and his wife, Diane, of Redwood City, California; many other nieces and nephews and their children, and her little canine companion Shortee LaRue. Jacci’s sister, Pat Ziebarth, her brother, Rex Bigler, and her sister-in-law, Susan Jamieson, predeceased her in 2023.
Jacci grew up in Lincoln, Idaho, before moving with her parents to Salt Lake City, where she graduated from high school and attended the University of Utah for two and half years. In 1963, she moved to San Francisco and began a career in advertising. She married Robert J. Weller in 1967. They moved to Los Angeles and got divorced in 1968. Jacci went back to school at UCLA, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1969.
Jacci continued her studies and completed a master’s degree in fine art (sculpture) at California State University at Long Beach in 1975. At that time, she and five other hippie friends bought a small farm near Eugene, Oregon, and went “back to the land.” Being not quite self-sufficient, she also taught drawing and design at Lane Community College, worked in student services offices, and conducted workshops at the University of Oregon in off-loom weaving and sculpture.
In 1979, her group sold the farm and disbanded. Jacci moved with her partner, Marylynne Durham, to Seattle, Washington, and never lost touch with her dear friend and fellow artist, Joy Franklin. In Seattle, she continued making art until artwork and part-time jobs no longer paid all the bills. She became a full-time property manager/personal assistant for Fischer Properties, traveling and working between Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska. In 1993, she left Seattle and her job to spend the last four months of her mother’s life with her in Idaho Falls.
After her mother’s death, she moved to Moab, where she went to work for Will Petty at Technica Pacifica. This also meant being near her brother Craig and his family and sharing adventures with her niece Susan, who often spent winters in Moab.
Moab became Jacci’s home where she continued her art, painting with acrylics. She was active in the local art community, participating in the annual studio tours. She sold her work in a fine arts gallery in Tubac, Arizona. In Moab, she met her dear friend Joan Gough, who shared her love of hiking. She was a master gardener and cook, co-hosted the family’s annual Sibling Hikes, and shared her home with several beloved pets. She was a life-long environmentalist, writing articles defending the conservation of northern spotted owls and the protection of the natural spaces around Moab.
Jacci would have wanted to thank all of those who made it possible for her to stay in her own home with Shortee until her death. You know who you are. Thank you. Thank you.
Friends and family are invited to share tributes online at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com
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