Jenny Pomeroy was determined to prevent blindness in Georgia and as the chief executive and president of a nonprofit dedicated to the cause, she was well on her way.
Screenings and treatment plans for both young and old were top priorities for Pomeroy, who took the helm of Prevent Blindness Georgia in 1996. She was more than an administrator. She helped with the heavy lifting too, said DeAndria Nichols, vice president of adult vision services for the organization.
“She would literally help me load a van,” Nichols said. “She would get up at 4 a.m. to drive to Macon with me and vision screen homeless people.”
Board co-chairman and pediatric ophthalmologist Amy Hutchinson said Pomeroy was “the most selfless person” with her time and advice.
“When you needed her, she was there,” Hutchinson said. “If she had any free time, she gave it up and worked for Prevent Blindness Georgia what seemed like 24/7.”
Stephanie Virginia Reid Pomeroy, known as Jenny, died Monday at Piedmont Hospital from complications of anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction to insect bites. She was 65.
A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. on July 31 at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. Davis-Struempf Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of cremation arrangements.
A native of Atlanta and a graduate of South Cobb High School and the University of Georgia, Pomeroy was planning for retirement said her daughter, Anne Berry Pomeroy Butler, of Atlanta. It wasn’t going to be an easy transition, as Butler said her mother was “happier when she was working.” But she was committed to making the transition and had even hired the person who would eventually replace her, Nichols and Butler said.
“She loved the work she did so much and she never would have wanted to leave them in the lurch,” Butler said.
Among Pomeroy’s contributions to the organization, in 1999, she helped design and develop the state-operated Drive for Sight Program, which provides thousands of dollars in funding. Through her work, Georgians have the option to donate $1 to support vision services when they renew or apply for a new driver’s license.
She also was a co-founder of the Georgia Vision Collaborative, which provides vision services to populations with high risk of eye health issues.
Scott Pastor, an ophthalmologist and co-chairman of the Prevent Blindness Georgia board of directors, said Pomeroy was committed to more than mere eye screenings.
“She understood the necessity of helping people afford treatment, not just the diagnosis of eye disease” he said.
Pastor said Pomeroy helped round up used equipment and got drug companies to donate eye drops so all populations could be served. Her enthusiasm often inspired others, he said.
“She didn’t care about getting credit for anything,” he said. “She was someone who made you feel it was your idea.”
In addition to her daughter, Pomeroy is survived by her husband of 43 years, Peter C. Pomeroy of Atlanta; son, John Stewart Pomeroy of Asheville, N.C.; mother, Stephanie Berry Reid of Austell; brother, Stewart “Bob” Reid Jr. of Austell; and four grandchildren.
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