From Widow to Overcomer—One Woman’s Catalyst to be a Real Estate Agent
As a child, Jaclyn Weesner grew up with fond memories of family vacations at Holly Lake Ranch—ones she still recalls today. “There is nothing more peaceful than driving to East Texas and smelling the fresh air and enjoying the beautiful views,” she says. Here, you’ll find a bird’s eye view from rolling hilltops dotted with cattle, glistening water that hugs the shores of many area lakes (both fishing or skiing), and magical tree “tunnels” from overarching oaks that create a canopy down country lanes.
Fast forward to 2024, Jaclyn’s oldest child, Colton, proudly serves in the Army. Every visit with him, his wife, Payge, and their 5-month-old daughter Kora (Jaclyn’s granddaughter) gives Jaclyn a deep appreciation for how far they have come and a joy in knowing her son is doing what he loves. While Preslie, Jaclyn’s daughter who is 16 years old, lives at home while attending Texas Tech University and wants to one day be a NICU nurse.
But years have passed since Jaclyn had to start over.
After graduating high school in Forney, Jaclyn got married in 2002 near Rockwall, had two children, and moved to Heath, Texas. But it was in 2012 on a bridge, which crosses Lake Ray Hubbard, that a horrific car accident suddenly ended her husband’s life. Just like that, Jaclyn became a single parent to two young children.
How does one prepare to be a widow so early on? It can happen like any other ordinary day after the alarm jars us awake, after dropping off an elementary kid and waving goodbye, after drinking our coffee or tea or protein shake and deciding what we’ll eat for lunch. In the blink of an eye, it can be forever altered. And we will fondly remember those mundane tasks that once felt so hard or so boring or so full of sameness. We will look back and long to return to schedules that were blissfully routine and common and steady.
Yet, hardships can be catalysts. Not usually ones we would pick for ourselves, necessarily. But ones that shape us, for good or bad.
From the fire, it would take many steps for Jaclyn to slowly rebuild her life. Three years would pass before she obtained her real estate license in 2015. As her and her family focused on a new way of living, she became a real estate agent. Within her second year, she received a top-producing award in the Dallas area and has received several more since. Professionally, she has attained additional real estate education that designates her as an Accredited Luxury Home Specialist (ALHS), an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), a Certified Home Marketing Specialist (CHMR), New Home Construction Certification (NHC).
By 2024, her track record included selling houses in areas such as Dallas, Forney, Nacogdoches, Cedar Creek, Heath, and even in Lubbock. But Jaclyn’s budding leadership abilities also extended to serving as a District Representative for a Texas Senator, as an Elections Judge for Rockwall County, and having held a chair in the Rockwall/Heath area for the multiple listing service (for real estate) known as Metrotex. In order to better understand contracts and the legal side of things, Jaclyn became a certified paralegal in 2019.
Jaclyn has begun to dream again. Engaged to Jeff, they enjoy their eastward drives in and around Hopkins County. “My fiancé and I want to move to [North] East Texas and build our forever home,” she says. And adding how she enjoys “the outdoors in East Texas and from the [several area] lakes and many local awesome restaurants.” Jaclyn also has a bonus daughter, Preslee (sharing the same name as her daughter) who is 20 years old and attends a medical training program to pursue a job in that field.
Rising from tragedy, Jaclyn (and her family) were able to overcome a painful time. Today, Jaclyn works at Janet Martin Realty in Sulphur Springs, Texas, where her devotion to real estate continues. “I enjoy helping others find their forever home,” she says. And it is here, in Hopkins County, that she dares to begin again.
