Remembering 'Dickie' Jumel: Much-loved Super Supplements retiree dies at 100

Brilliant vivacity, dedication to holistic health and a true love for the well-being of others come to mind when many think of Dorothy "Dickie" Jumel.

“We’re supposed to come here and be happy, gay, throwing out the love and the wisdom,” she said in a 2020 Press article.

Jumel's son-in-law, Mark Whitt, asked what better legacy can be left in the world than to truly help the lives of others.

"She did that multiple times over," Whitt said Wednesday.

Jumel, 100, died Sunday in the Hospice of North Idaho Schneidmiller Hospice House after falling and breaking her hip Aug. 19. Surgery was deemed too dangerous, and her bones would not have been able to hold a pin or a screw.

Whitt said when she was taken to the emergency room after she fell, it was the first time she'd ever been admitted to the hospital as a patient.

"She had been in hospitals when she was younger working as a nurse’s aide during World War II and that is where she met her future husband, who was recuperating from being shot down as a bomber pilot," Whitt said. "The first time she had been to an actual doctor was about three weeks ago because my wife wanted her to have at least a checkup."

The community will remember Jumel as the lively, lovely health guru who worked at the Coeur d'Alene Super Supplements for nearly 20 years before retiring at 98. The Press reported on her farewell party, quoting colleagues who described her as a neat lady who had more energy than many 20-year-olds.

In 2012, she was highlighted in an article titled, "You want what she's got — Good nutrition, great outlook fuel 90-year-old worker."

"Her connection to the fountain of youth has at least as much to do with her focus on the well-being of others as it does with what she puts into her own body," the article states.

The reporter asked how often customers wanted to know what she did to stay on top of the world.

"They come and say, all day, 'I want to be like you,'" Jumel said. "And I say, 'I don't want you to be like me. I want you to be better.'"

Whitt said when Jumel first worked for Super Supplements, the store held annual awards banquets for its top employees.

"Dickie sold so much more than anyone else in the entire company that they had to make a special award for her that they called the Diamond Award," he said.

Super Supplements store manager Lisa Wright worked with Jumel for more than three years. She said a picture of Jumel is still on the bulletin board in the office.

"One of her favorite sayings that she used to talk about here was, 'It's a drop of water that wears away the stone,'” Wright said. "She always had little sayings like that. She was phenomenal. So many years of experience in the industry."

Wright said customers still ask about Jumel just about every day.

"They all have a story about her," she said. "It's really heartwarming to hear about their experiences. She was beloved by everybody."