Where Are They Now?

Vickie Darline Chaney moved away from Dublin many times throughout her life. “I followed jobs and opportunities,” she said. “I wanted what was best for my kids. But something always pulled me back to Dublin.“

This time, Chaney has been in town for two months. She doesn’t know if she will stay -- but whatever happens, she knows she’ll be back.

Chaney was born in Dublin in 1956. She and her mother moved to Stephenville for a while when she was young, but returned to Dublin when Chaney was nine years old.

She made some friends at school in Dublin, including her lifelong friend Paulette Cox, but Chaney had a hard time with her classes, and in 1972, when she was a freshman at Dublin High School, she decided to stop her studies and begin working full time.

Chaney’s step sister owned the Sunset Cafe in Dublin (it has since closed), and Chaney had been working evenings there since she was in 7th grade. When she left school, she kept that job and started waitressing at Black’s Cafe during the day to supplement her income. She balanced those jobs for a couple of years then moved to Madisonville, Texas.

She worked at a cafe in Madisonville for a while, then moved out to Houston. There, while working as the manager at a Pizza Hut in Pearland, she met William Jack Chaney, a construction worker from Birmingham, AL.

The Chaneys married in 1974, and in 1976 Chaney had her first child. She stayed home to raise him, and her other children, until her husband passed away in 1986.

After her husband’s death, Chaney continued working at restaurants. She tried not to move as much as before, since she now had four children. “I wanted to keep them in the same school,” she said.

She kept working until 2008, when she and one of her granddaughters were in a car wreck in Dublin. The accident left Chaney disabled, and her granddaughter with severe brain damage.

Chaney now lives alone in an apartment in Dublin. She spends most of her time at home, and has some assistance to go about her day. “I have a home health attendant who comes every day to help me out,” she said.

Chaney has four children, all of whom live in the Dublin and Stephenville area. Jesse, her oldest, is 44, and is also disabled as a result of a car wreck. Melissa Chaney, 42, is a hospice caregiver, Lois Srader, 38, is a self-employed cleaner, and Amanda Srader, 36, works at Outlaw Conversions in Stephenville.

She has 14 grandchildren, one great grandson, and a great granddaughter on the way. “I can’t wait until she gets here,” she said.

Throughout her life, Chaney’s family has been her greatest source of inspiration. “I want the best for my kids, grandkids, and great grandkids,” she said. “I just try to live life to the fullest, even now.”

Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other graduates, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.