Jackie Haeflinger was an events planner at NYU: her job was to put things in order. Her friends, aware of her gift for organization, would enlist her to rearrange their kitchens, closets and bathrooms.

“I think she liked the challenge of chaos,” said her younger sister, Darlene. “Maybe that’s why she loved Manhattan.”

Jackie grew up on Staten Island, the third of four children. Though the family has dispersed, Jackie was the person who made sure everyone stayed in touch. “She was relentless,” Darlene recalled. “She had to make everything right, in her life and in her relationships.”

She was particularly close to her three nieces, to whom she regularly gave advice. “It was very heartwarming how important they were to her,” Darlene said. “She was a really good mother even though she wasn’t a mother.”

At the time she died, Jackie had almost completed her bachelor degree in Applied Sciences at NYU, with the hope of becoming a professional life coach and personal organizer.