David Lee Jewell was born on January 11th, 1942, to Earl and Kathryn Jewell in Taylorville, Illinois. Dave spent much of his childhood in Cairo, in Southern Illinois, which always held a special place in his heart. He achieved Eagle Scout, of which he was always proud. In 1960, he graduated high school and went to Southern Illinois University. In 1963, he met and married Patricia Gail Stone. Dave graduated in 1964 and began his career supporting people with mental illness at Anna State Hospital, where he was the director of Public Relations and Volunteer Services. In 1966, he moved his young family to Las Vegas, New Mexico and worked as the Chief Industrial Therapist at NM State Hospital. Dave loved New Mexico and met many lifelong friends. In 1970, the growing family moved to Chester, Illinois, where he had worked as an Activity Director and later promoted to Unit Director of Activity Therapy Services at Chester Mental Health Center. Dave received his PhD from SIU in 1979 and moved the now family of five to Brockport, NY. He started his position at SUNY Brockport as Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Services. In 1981, he was designated as Chair of the Department and served as Chair and Director of Curriculum for 9 years and later promoted to full Professor. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1995 and then joined the Division of International Education for 4 years before full retirement. Dave authored four books at Brockport, two dealing with Child Abuse, one anthology of Recreation and Leisure, and the fourth was regarding the vocabulary of clinical terminology for the discipline of Therapeutic Recreation. He also developed a training manual for Professional Practicum in Recreation and Leisure. Dave was a member of the Brockport United Methodist Church since 1979. In addition, he was active within many organizations, including the Board of Directors for Oak Orchard Health for 17 years, 14 of those as Vice Chairman of the Board. He was a member of the Brockport Kiwanis Club since 2006 and served as President twice. Finally, he was a board member of the Brockport Seymour Library Foundation. Dave said his two favorite words in the English language were Dad and Papa – and he was the best! And one of his guiding principles was… Get Over It – a favorite song by The Eagles. David is survived by his loving wife, Patricia, sharing over 61 years of marriage; his children Amy (Steve) Mitchell, Chris, Jeremy (Nancy); Grandchildren Kayla (Josh) Maier, Alyson, Katy and Danielle; and great-grandchildren Blakely and Wilder. Arrangements are private, with a celebration of life at a later time. Donations can be made in Dave’s memory to the Brockport Kiwanis Children’s Fund or SUNY Brockport Foundation Student Scholarship Fund or Brockport United Methodist Church. Dave’s family would like to thank the medical staff at Strong Memorial Hospital for their care for all the family during his stay there. There will be a private service at a later date to be decided on by the family.
