A lovely addition to Decatur House is Jocelyn “Jos” Schermerhorn, who shares her apartment with Witty, a striking calico cat ‘of a certain age. ‘Jos – pronounced “Joss” – grew up in Wellesley when it still had “a small town feel.” “I always had to behave myself,” she said, “because my mother knew everybody.”
Now Jos has three children of her own– Bud, Tom and Hope – who reside in East Sandwich. Sadly, a third son, 69-year-old Rick, passed away in 2016. Only months later Jos suffered another loss with the death of Skid, her husband of 68 years.
Her husband’s birth name was actually Horace, Jos said, but an old girlfriend had nicknamed him Skid, a moniker that endured a lifetime. “It was the best thing anyone ever did for him!” Jos said, with a little laugh. “We thanked her at every meal.”
Jos, a Mayflower descendant, has always had a deep love for the Cape. She and Skid bought a summer cottage in East Sandwich in 1955, and then a house in 1985.
Jos also has a deep love of birds, a passion she shares with her daughter, Hope. The two sometimes drive to Plymouth to observe a gigantic nest housing majestic American bald eagles. Closer to home, Jos was instrumental in erecting a towering nesting platform for ospreys, in East Sandwich. “I bought the wood and got people to put it up, through [Mass] Audubon,” she said.
A lady of many interests, Jos has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge. “She’s probably the most well-read person you will ever meet,” Bud said. “She reads two or three books a week!”
Jos has eight grandchildren – including namesake Jocelyn – and nine great-grandchildren, “with two more in the oven,” she added, with a proud grin. “I’m so blessed — I’ve had a wonderful life!” Jos said. “What could be better?”
