[CT-NFB] Jackie Billey

[llee at nfbct.org]

Andrea and Sara Billey, Jackie's daughters, just called to let us know that
Jackie passed away this weekend. There are so many positive adjectives that
could be used to describe Jackie; I'll simply say that she was a wonderful
lady who loved life and the NFB. She hired me back in the day, and working
with her was such a pleasure. Below is her obituary:

 

Jacquilyn Billey

 

March 29, 1938 - April 10, 2022





Our dear mother, grandmother, and trusted friend Jacquilyn Billey passed
away peacefully on April 10 holding the hands of her daughters.  We reflect
on the many wonderful qualities she had and the many contributions to our
community that she made.  

 

Jacquilyn was born in Wentworth, South Dakota.  She was a surprise twin born
the day after her sister Marilyn.  Their brother Terry was born a year later
so they were all very close growing up.  She was also very close with her
extended family.  Her mom Cosette "Corky" Nicholson had been the youngest of
10 children so there were many aunts, uncles, and cousins who loved each
other very much and stayed in close contact all her life.  She loved farm
life, chewing oats, milking cows, and watching the crops grow.  

 

Jacquilyn started working early in life.  At twelve years old, she was
helping in the telephone office in Wentworth.  You can still visit the
building where she was a switchboard operator at
<https://www.prairievillage.org/> Praire Village.   At twenty, she wanted to
try living in New York City so she wrote ahead to a boarding school and got
a  job as a teacher with housing on the campus.  She taught by day and
helped take care of the children in the evenings.  

 

Jacquilyn was a very good student.  She went to college at General Beadle
(now known as Dakota State University).  In college, she was voted Miss
Personality.    Upon graduation, she returned to New York City as a teacher.
After a time, she wanted to further her education so she enrolled in Hunter
College and received her Masters's Degree in Education.   She specialized in
teaching second grade and special education.  

 

During that time in New York, Jacquilyn met her life partner John Billey who
was there as an exchange student from West Virginia University.  Jacquilyn
and John married on April 10, 1965.  Jacquilyn and John were both
intelligent, courageous, loving, blind people who supported each other
throughout their lives.   They have two loving daughters and 4 wonderful
grandchildren who follow in their footsteps.  

 

Jacquilyn worked her entire adult life to better the lives of others.  She
was a teacher in Newark, NJ  in the 1960s.   In the 1970s, she created and
directed a program at Manchester Community College to do job training and
placement for mentally disabled adults.  After graduation from the program,
they often got good jobs in the mailrooms and cafeterias of insurance and
aerospace companies.   During that time, Jaquilyn became the president of
the Connecticut Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a
position she held from 1984 to 1990.  She oversaw an extensive fundraising
and awareness effort that helped the members through scholarships to get
training in Braille, cane travel, attend college, go to NFB conventions, and
to buy computers and other equipment necessary for their careers.  There was
no email, Facebook, or texting back then; all of her organizational efforts
were done via phone conversations and meetings.   

 

In 1984, Jacquilyn took a new job with the National Federation of the Blind
which gave her the opportunity to visit almost every state in the country.
Her task was to build new chapters of the NFB where none existed and to
support the smaller chapters that wanted to grow.    The adventures of so
much travel were exciting and challenging at times.  Like many blind
travelers, she depended on her white cane for independence.  It was also a
symbol of her cause to support and promote the lives of blind people.  She
carried her NFB-labeled white cane proudly everywhere she went.  

 

In 1988, Jacquilyn was given the Jacobus tenBroek Award from the National
Federation of the Blind. This award is for her "dedication, sacrifice, and
commitment on behalf of the blind of the nation."  She truly gave her all to
the organization and to its members.  

 

In the early 1990s, Jaquilyn was ready to set down roots again and took a
position as the regional coordinator for the Roswell Office of the
Commission for the Blind in New Mexico.  She cherished her clients and did
all she could to support them in their education, development, and career
goals.  She also embraced the culture of the South West, cooking with hatch
chili peppers, and listening to opera in Santa Fe.  

 

When Jacquilyn retired, she promptly moved to West Lafayette, Indiana to be
closer to family.   She enjoyed time with her grandchildren and made many
cherished friends.   She took daily walks and found peace in doing yoga.  

 

Jacquilyn leaves behind a legacy of activism, inspiration, and kindness.
She was a brave woman who was full of hope for the world.  Her friend Janie
said recently in a note to Jackie,  

 

"I love you because of your sweet outlook on life - always ready to see the
good in any circumstances.  That's an inspiration.  My glass - from my
perspective - has always been HALF EMPTY! Not yours - Full to the BRINK!"  

 

Several people commented that she was a friend to all people no matter their
race, education, abilities/disabilities, political orientation, or gender
identity.
<https://nfb.org/about-us/leadership/board-directors/ever-lee-hairston> Ever
Lee Hairston, a Member of the NFB Board of Directors, said "Jacquilyn
reached out to blind people from her heart. I vividly remember she invited
me to my first NFB convention in 1987."   That convention was
transformational for Ever Lee, like so many other blind people.  She said  

 

"Jacquilyn was loved for her inspiration and kindness.  Be at peace with
that.   Follow her lead.  Live your life."

 

Jacquilyn Billey was survived by her two daughters Sara Billey (husband Paul
Viola), Andrea Gray (husband Don Gray), grandchildren Alan, Elias, Marisa,
and Meredith, her sister-in-law Beth Holland, niece Sonya Holland,
niece-in-law Susan Holland, grand-niece Tera, and many cousins, friends, and
fellow blind people around the world. She was preceded in death by her
husband Dr. John E. Billey, sister Marilyn Opfer and brother-in-law
<https://norfolkdailynews.com/obituaries/bill-opfer/article_9b3c3602-68cb-11
ec-be99-979b5fcba9c4.html> Bill Opfer, brother Terry Holland, mother Corky
Nicholson, and her nephew Jeff Holland.  

 

Donations in Jacquilyn's honor can be sent to the
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give> National Federation of the Blind

( <https://nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give> nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give).
Include Jaquilyn Billey's name with the donation.

An annual scholar will be named after her.  Pictures and remembrances of
Jacquilyn Billey can be sent to the family at
<mailto:jbilley.memorial at gmail.com> jbilley.memorial at gmail.com.   A memorial
service will be held in Wentworth, South Dakota at Rose Hill Cemetary on
Memorial Day Weekend, May 29, 2022.  

 

 






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