I didn’t know her but she was a fixture on Seventh Avenue for as long as I’ve been around. Sitting on the steps of Old First Church, walking up and down Seventh Avenue with her shopping cart, Jackie Connor was a beloved figure around here.

My friend Marian Fontana called me today to say that Jackie died. Marian has special feelings for Jackie because after 9/11, Jackie gave Marian and all the guys at Squad 1 little angel figurines. Apparently, she collected angels and bought many of them at the Clay Pot, where she was always welcome. I imagine she was a collector of things. She once bought a pair of leather boots from one of my Stoop Sales – for her daughter I think.

I noticed a few months ago that she had no hair. Her hair was always short but she was bald and I thought to myself: she must be undergoing chemo.

Indeed, cancer claimed Jackie’s life. The Slope won’t be the same without her and her gift of angels. We will miss our neighbor, who just like us, lived her life on the Avenue.