The Old Townie: A vivid memory among many
Like many in Oxford, Steve Schnabl is looking back on his time knowing Floye Jean Dockery fondly following her death this month.
I read earlier this week that Jean Dockery has died.
Although I knew of Jean during my Hamilton senior center leadership days, I did not come to know her well until I took the director’s job at Oxford Seniors.
She was a nurse. She was an educator, professor and department head. She was an Oxford neighbor. She was a pioneer. She was a cheerleader. She was a reader. She was a volunteer.
Jean was a force.
As the head of the nurse training at Miami’s Hamilton campus, she started sending her students to visit the Hamilton center while I managed it. Her expectation was that young nurses would learn from some exposure to active, interesting, worldly, opinionated and relatively well older adults. She wanted her nurses to understand the truth that illness, dementia and decline happened, but not to every older adult and certainly not at any particular age or life stage.
I believe Jean wanted to instill respect and dignity toward older adult patients and to make it clear that a nursing home was not every person’s destiny.
I knew Jean had served as the president of the Oxford Seniors board several times after her retirement. She wrote monthly letters to its membership via the agency newsletter. She encouraged, coaxed and recruited participants to become active while continuing to find companionship, new pursuits, nutrition and FUN.
She was the catalyst, along with former director Joan Potter-Sommer, to start Soul Celebration, a Black History Month event for the community at Oxford Seniors. A soul food meal and a pertinent guest speaker helped acquaint many Oxfordians with the historic impact Black Americans left on our country. Jean believed that the diversity of our country always made it better and stronger.
She had a sweet smile, gentle laugh and a great collection of shoes.
When I started at the Oxford center in 2017, Jean asked for an appointment with me in my office during my first week. She brought me a welcome gift, and she told me the importance she placed on Oxford Seniors for our community and personally for her. She expected that of me, too.
She brought me ideas, encouragement and creativity in our sporadic one-on-one conversations.
When the state closed senior centers to their members for the Covid-19 pandemic, I missed her.
She was the first member to come back the day the closure was lifted.
I will miss you Floye Jean Dockery, but you are in my heart along with so many others who have made such an impression on me as the pleasures of my jobs.
Steve Schnabl moved to Oxford in 1985. He retired in 2023 from Oxford Seniors after a 40-year career directing nonprofits.
