Maritime community has lost a significant piece of living history upon the death of Jessie Lee (Babb) Dominique on August 5, 2005. Those who participated in the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society trip to Portsmouth Village a year ago will recall her leading our group and telling some of her wonderful stories about growing up on the island.

For a diminutive lady, she was a dynamo and possessed an unsinkable spirit. In her lifetime she had taken care of others during sickness and old age. She was an active member of the Ann Street Methodist Church where she dedicated much of her time along with helping organize Meals on Wheels. She was a volunteer for the Cape Lookout National Seashore and a leader of the Friends of Portsmouth, and she gave numerous presentations to school and civic groups about her life on the island.

Lee left a small piece of paper with a handwritten note that was discovered and shared by her nephew, Frank Giannino. In it she said, “…I thank God for creating me and giving me to the loving parents and family I had and for placing me on the beautiful Island of Portsmouth that will always be home to me….”

Lee was loved and cherished by many. And she will live on strong and bright in the hearts of those fortunate to have known her or to have heard some of her stories.