Jacqueleene Dobbins

Jacqueleene Bowen Dobbins, long-time resident of Winston-Salem, NC and later Chapel Hill, NC, died peacefully at Carolina Meadows Retirement Community in Chatham County surrounded by her family on April 17, 2026. She was 99 years old.

Jackie, as she was known to family and friends, is survived by her two sons, James T. Dobbins III (wife, Catherine N. Dobbins) of Durham, NC and Steven E. Dobbins (partner, Rafael Tosado) of Chapel Hill, NC; grandson, Scott N. Dobbins (wife, Lanxia Xie) of Larchmont, NY; and great-grandson, Theo A. Dobbins. Her beloved husband of 66 years, James T. Dobbins, Jr (Jim), died in 2018.

Jackie was born on March 20, 1927 to Lula Pearl Holt Bowen and Earl Smith Bowen in Jackson, MS. She had a younger sister, Betty Jeanne Bowen Westerman. The family moved to Tupelo, MS when she was in eighth grade and then again to Brookhaven, MS in 1943 when Jackie was in high school. As a child, Jackie enjoyed dance, both ballet and tap, and was on several athletic teams. She was a member of the girls basketball team and also the state champion relay track team. She was strong in her young adult years, and the family remembers the anecdote of her picking up an entire bedframe single-handedly to move it indoors at an estate sale when it started to rain. She excelled academically and had the grade-point average to qualify her as valedictorian of her high school, but did not receive that honor because she had not lived in Brookhaven for her entire high school career.

She attended college at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford, MS, majoring in chemistry, and graduated in 1949. She then attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a Masters Degree in Chemistry in 1952. While in graduate school, she met fellow graduate student, James T. Dobbins, Jr, who happened to be the son of a well-loved chemistry professor who introduced the two to each other. Jackie and Jim fell in love and married on December 22, 1951.

The two moved to Japan in 1954, while Jim was still in graduate school, for Jim to serve two years in the U.S. Army. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in Japan and signed up for an additional year of duty. Jackie worked in a chemistry laboratory during her time in Japan, working on air pollution and virology studies, which were important to the rebuilding effort in the Tokyo area following the war. They welcomed the birth of their first son, James III, in 1956 while stationed in Japan. They returned to the U.S. in 1956 when James III was only three months old, lugging enough diapers and formula bottles for the long international trip.

They remained briefly in Chapel Hill while Jim finished his PhD and then moved to Winston-Salem in 1958. While in Winston-Salem, they welcomed their second son, Steven, who was born in 1961. Jackie was a long-time member of Knollwood Baptist Church and served as deacon and as church historian for a number of years, authoring the church’s history for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2007.

Jackie began her working career in a science lab at North Carolina State University while Jim was working on his graduate degree. After moving to Winston-Salem, she worked briefly in a virology lab at Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After taking several years to raise their two sons, Jackie began her long and distinguished teaching career. She began as instructor of chemistry and physics at Salem College in 1965 and several years later transitioned to the faculty of Salem Academy, teaching chemistry and physical science, where she remained for the rest of her career. She was a profoundly dedicated teacher and cared deeply for her students. She would often be grading exams on Christmas Eve, including the writing of individually-crafted notes for each student highlighting their achievements and encouraging them in their academic progress. She was recognized for her excellence in teaching with the establishment of the Dobbins Excellence in Science Award for best science student at Salem Academy. She was also recognized by the local chapter of the American Chemical Society for her excellence in high-school chemistry teaching.

In her years of teaching, Jackie shared some parting advice with her students at the end of each term, paraphrased as follows: “A successful life is not determined by titles, position or prestige. What is important is helping others. Have you eased the burdens or increased the joys of someone else? Those are the measures of a successful life.”

In later years, Jackie greatly loved the role of being grandmother to Scott, and the family spent many wonderful days together at UNC basketball games, in the garden, and on vacation at the beach. She and Jim moved to Carolina Meadows south of Chapel Hill in 2011 to be near both their sons. She was thrilled to welcome granddaughter-in-law Lanxia (Summer) into the family in 2016 and to become great-grandmother (or “Gigi”) to Theo, who was born in 2020.

Jackie’s family notes traits that endeared her to many; she was generous, kind, patient, and excelled at love. She had a spunky side as well that reflected her love of life, including performing a cartwheel at her 60th birthday party, to the delight of the gathered guests. She was exceptionally loving in her care for Jim in his last decade of life as he faced significant health issues. She worked very hard, even when it was physically draining, to allow Jim to remain in their retirement community home as long as possible in order to provide him the best quality of life. Her family considers it a tremendous gift from God to have shared these many years with her as wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a person who exhibited attributes that truly define what it means to be a great person.

She passed away peacefully after a year of being confined to bed as her health declined, but she retained her beautiful, cheerful personality until the end. She very much enjoyed celebrating her 99th birthday just weeks before she passed, with her family gathered at her bedside.

The family is grateful for the excellent care provided to her over the years by her physicians in Winston-Salem, and then Dr. Lee Berkowitz, Dr. Donna Miller, and Nurse Practitioners Aubrey Perkins and Jackie Campbell in Chapel Hill. She was also deeply grateful for the wonderful nursing team at Carolina Meadows, who not only took excellent care of her but were her daily companions for the last few years of her life.

A memorial service is planned at Carolina Meadows Auditorium at 2 pm on Saturday May 9, with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jackie’s life. Condolences may be sent to the family at 5 Barley Circle, Durham, NC 27707. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome contributions to Salem Academy in memory of Jackie Dobbins (Salem Academy, Attn: Office of Institutional Advancement, 601 S. Church St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101). Walker’s Funeral Home of Chapel Hill has been entrusted to care for the Dobbins family.