Dr. Joseph Doster, age 67, passed away December 12th, 2010. He was born in Milford, Delaware on October 26th, 1943 to Joseph and Dorothy. Growing up, Joe assisted his family at the Doster Hosiery Mill in Hollywood, Florida. Joe enjoyed spending his time on the beautiful Florida shoreline riding his favorite horse, Rebel. Upon graduation from Broward High School in 1961, Joe’s aspirations of helping others led him to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After eight years of rigorous study, Joe received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 1969. While academics were always a top priority, Joe also made lifelong friendships from his membership in Delta Tau Delta.
After graduating, Joe began teaching at the University of Missouri. It was here that Joe met his future wife, Jeanette. It was love at first sight, and Joe proposed three months later. Joe and Jeanette were married in 1971 at Avondale Methodist Church in Kansas City. The reception was held at the family home, and the bride and groom were surrounded by loving family and friends.
Following four years of teaching at the University of Georgia, Joe began his three and a half decade career at the University of North Texas. He provided the leadership that resulted in the initial, national accreditations for the Clinical and Health psychology programs. As with his frat brothers in college, Joe formed many friendships with his colleagues and students at UNT. While Director of the Health Psychology program for 25 years, he worked tirelessly to ensure that each student in the program received financial support to assist them while completing their graduate studies.
While Joe was incredibly passionate about his work, his heart was always with his family. Jeanette, his beloved wife of 39 years, and his daughters, Lauren and Meagen, will forever remember his love. As a father, Joe instilled two important philosophies in his daughters: the first was the importance of family and friends; the second was to be a light-hearted person, and to always take time to laugh and enjoy life. He had such an incredible sense of adventure and voracity for life, which was evident in his delight with traveling, literature, music, art, and theatre. He shared his love of travel with the family, taking them on many trips to Europe, Canada, Costa Rica, and across the United States. His family will always treasure his guidance and wisdom, and he will be with them for the rest of their lives. Joe will also be greatly missed by his sister, Dorothy Stebbins, and his nieces and nephew: Jill, Jennifer, Deedra, and Robert. In addition to his own family, Joe was cherished by Jeanette’s family with many fond memories over the years.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Joseph Doster to the National Brain Tumor Society, East Coast Office, 124 Watertown Street Suite 2D, Watertown, MA 02472. The website can be accessed at: http://www.braintumor.org/.
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