By DAISY WASHINGTON / Community Columnist

Ninety-year-old Jean Schoefield moved from Kansas as a young child to Montevallo, and settled in a small area known as Dry Valley.

An Alabama Board of Education retiree who enjoyed cooking, she worked as a cafeteria worker at Elvin Hill Elementary School for 25 years (serving as manager for the last five). Although this mother of two worked outside of the home, she found time for one of her favorite pastimes: planting, maintaining and harvesting her yearly vegetable garden.

It was a labor of love that yielded annual canned tomatoes, string beans and other vegetables from her garden. Her son-in-law has continued this tradition.

A RSVP member for nearly 20 years, logging in 7,769 hours. For several years, Schoefield volunteered at the Shelby County Historical Society, where she helped with special events such as Liberty Day, where she was a greeter.

She also worked large meetings and other activities. As a display room presenter, she provided information about area artifacts.

Active for some years with the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce, her tasks as a volunteer included office help and mailings, as well as assisting with events and serving at monthly Chamber meetings.

As an American Red Cross Blood Services Specialist volunteer, she was responsible for regional and area transportation of blood and blood products, the pickup of empty boxes from hospitals and return to the Donor Center.

She has attended the Columbiana Senior Center almost every day for what she described as “a long, long time.”

She was among those who campaigned for a new senior center and approached the city leaders with the idea for a new facility.

At the 2015 grand opening, County Manager Alex Dudchock recognized Schoefield and said she was “relentless” in making the project a reality.

She has been a participant in the Widow’s Might Ministry at Liberty Baptist Church in Chelsea since 2001. Janice Chesser, program director, said women who have lost their spouses often need a social outlet and something constructive to do.

The ministry operates several different programs: a book distribution to all of the Shelby County nursing homes and assisted living facilities, sends care boxes to soldiers overseas (Schoefield assembled the boxes), and distributes gifts to the 150 veterans at the Bill Nichols Veterans Home in Alexander City.

“Jean has done everything she could do to serve the Lord and other people too,” Chesser said. “She is a hard worker, a precious, precious lady.”