Inez Roberta Dorman's Obituary
Inez was born on the Ides of March, 1938 in Eastman, Georgia, to RobertHugh Jones, a prosperous farmer and pillar of the community, and Delta Inez Grant Jones, teacher of French, the piano and librarian; both residents of nearby Lumber City, Georgia. The family name Jones is a pseudonym, adopted to replace Seymour, by an ancestor who fled South Carolina toavoid prosecution for his participation in a fatal duel (Inez’ forbear won the duel). Inez was DAR and UDC (if you do not know what these mean, you are likely not from the South). Her childhood avocations included sewing frocks out of flour sack cloth, dressing her baby brother as a girl while calling him Simone (she had wanted a sister), and shooting nuts out of trees on the family farm (her dog would chomp open the shells and they would share the bounty). After graduation from Lumber City High School as student body secretary, cheerleader and class Valedictorian, Inez moved to Atlanta to seek her fortune. She took classes at Georgia State University. In Atlanta, she met her future spouse, LeRoy, whom she enchanted, then married. After his graduation from Georgia Tech (BS, Phys; Ens, USN) they were posted to San Diego. After completing three years of active Naval Service, mostly in the far east, LeRoy pursued graduate studies at Georgia Tech and the University of Wisconsin, (MS, PhD). There followed positions lasting a few years at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory in Miami. They returned to San Diego in 1973, where LeRoy joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In support of LeRoy’s intense studies and career adventures, many of which required travel of long duration, Inez managed a busy household and moved the family almost thirty times. The frugality and practical skills Inez learned growing up on a farm as a child of the depression was demonstrated by her passion for do-it-yourself projects such as sewing her kids’ clothing and stuffed animals, baking wonderful desserts, and unclogging stubborn drains. Inez insisted that her children learn similar self-sufficiency. Accordingly, each were taught to sew, knit, bake a pie, fix a leaky toilet and change the oil in a car. As the children grew up, Inez kept herself busy with a wide variety of jobs, including selling real estate, delivering newspapers, and working at Spreckles Elementary School as a playground supervisor. Inez began collecting houses, which she personally maintained and rented out over the years. Inez also collected antiques, including many, many, chairs. She greatly enjoyed visiting her home in Key Biscayne, Florida to take in the warm weather she craved. In 2002, when her red Mustang (5 in the floor) was no longer sufficiently amusing, Inez purchased a red Corvette (6 in the floor), which she named “Big Red.” This was the third car she purchased without input from her husband. She drove with delight through the mountains, particularly enjoying the Sunrise Highway (S1) at sunrise. She scrupulously obeyed the traffic laws and the minions of the law, who trailed her with great interest, were never able to cite her for violating traffic laws. About 2006 she andLeRoy found a new home in Borrego Springs, which they came to love. For the last fifteen months even this was out ofreach for Inez. During the past few years Inez suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, which increasingly limited her energy and ability to travel. None of Inez’ favorite sayings are appropriate for publication in mainstream media. An appropriate description of her personal philosophy, however, may be found in a quote from Katherine Hepburn: “As one goes through life one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” Inez completed her life’s journey peacefully at home in San Diego on the 27th of March of 2013 just after reaching age 75. She is survived by spouse LeRoy, daughter Elena of San Diego, son Eric of San Diego, and daughter Elizabeth of San Francisco, and brother Robert, of Raleigh, NC. Consistent with Inez’ wishes, her family plans to vacuum her ashes into her favorite Hoover, which shall be painted gold and periodically exchanged between her children.Arrangements are under the direction of Clairemont Mortuary.Clairemont Mortuary4266 Mt. Abernathy Ave.San Diego, California 92117If you have any questions or need assistance, please call (619) 279-2211.
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