Jacque Waldroup Betz, our dear friend and longtime member of the CODEPINK community, passed away on March 29, 2026. In a way that feels deeply true to who she was, Jacque spent her final full day doing what she loved most, standing with her community at the No Kings rally, raising her voice for peace, and embracing the connections and causes she cared about so deeply. It was a day filled with purpose, energy, and the values she shared with peacemakers all over the country.
After the rally, while riding her bike home, Jacque suffered a sudden and severe stroke. Thanks to the quick and compassionate actions of fellow participants who stopped to help, she was transported by EMS to UF Health Shands, where she received care.
In her final hours, a small circle of close friends gathered at her bedside, joined by Pastor Becca of Westminster Presbyterian Church, to offer love, prayers, and their goodbyes. Others who could not be present shared their farewells in their own ways, through song, reflection, and messages of support. There is something profoundly meaningful in knowing that her last day was spent fully engaged in the work and the people she loved.
Jacque’s life was defined by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to justice and community building. For many years, Jacque steered CODEPINK's Peace Ribbon Project, which honored the victims of the Iraq War through handmade cloth memorial panels depicting individual fallen soldiers and Iraqi civilians. It served as an ongoing grassroots project where individuals and groups came together to make and display panels in their communities. Thanks to her efforts, we had over 225 panels completed by the end of 2007. Read more about this project on our archived website here.
We will always remember Jacque for her fierce spirit, her generous heart, and the way she showed up, again and again, for others. Her absence leaves a deep void, but her impact lives on in the community she helped build and inspire.
May she rest in peace and love.
