Dagmar Janet Niven Dockery of Vineyard Haven, and formerly of Essex Fells and Chatham, N.J., died peacefully at her home on January 10 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 81.

She is reunited with her parents, John and Marjorie and her brother, Bruce.

She was born in New York city and grew up in Chatham Township, N.J. with her parents and younger brother. She graduated from Chatham High School and lived in Chatham until age 30, when she moved to Essex Fells. During her younger years, Dagmar spent much of her free time dancing and working with local community theater groups including the Chatham Players, Craig Theatre, New Jersey Ballet and Paper Mill Playhouse.

In her 30s, while raising her six children, Dagmar enrolled in classes at Caldwell College. There, she would go on to earn undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry as well as a master’s in biology. Always fascinated with medicine, Dagmar continued her education, earning her master’s in nursing (MSN).

After completing her degrees, she began her career in nursing and worked as an emergency room, ICU and surgery RN at dozens of northern New Jersey hospitals, prior to her long tenure with the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. While living in New Jersey, Dagmar was not only a full-time nurse but also an adjunct professor at Montclair State University.

Since the late 1970s, her greatest love was enjoying the beauty of Martha’s Vineyard and spending time at the Island’s tranquil beaches. She eventually moved to her home in Vineyard Haven with her youngest son Christian, where she resided for 26 years.

Dagmar was a personable and confident person with a clever sense of humor, razor-sharp wit and fondness for good music. She quickly made many great friends on the Island and spent countless fun evenings in her free time dancing and socializing at beloved past haunts, including Lola’s, The Navigator and David’s Island House.

While living on Martha’s Vineyard, Dagmar worked as an RN at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. She took on numerous responsibilities in every department but it was the urgency, focus and teamwork of the emergency room where she truly thrived.

Many times, she answered the call to accompany the U.S. Coast Guard as their flight nurse for critical patient evacuations to Boston and other mainland hospitals. It is without question that these medical evacuations were among her most thrilling and rewarding career experiences.

During her later years, Dagmar continued her pursuit of education at UMass Dartmouth, earning her third master’s (DNP) and becoming a nurse practitioner. In the last phase of her illustrious career, she worked as a nurse ractitioner for a clinic in Vineyard Haven. While this role lacked the fast pace of an urban hospital’s trauma wing or a late-night Coast Guard transport flight, becoming a nurse practitioner was, in her view, her greatest career achievement.

Dagmar was a strong woman with a million dollar smile. She was a caring soul with the rare tenacity to always try harder, learn more and sacrifice for others. All those who met her felt drawn to her. For more than 35 years, Dagmar’s passion for excellent patient care impacted thousands of people’s lives. She touched so many of us and will be missed dearly by her family, friends and colleagues.

She is survived by her children: Kerri Patterson Allen, Scott Patterson and his wife Erin, Amy Patterson Bartelloni and her husband Steven, Christian Billotto and his wife Becky, Jacqueline Dockery and Kim Dockery. She was a proud grandmother to Morgan, Jessica, Lucinda, Victoria and Camille.

Her memorial service will be held at Saint Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven on May 14 at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions can be made in her memory to Parkinson’s Research at michaeljfox.org or parkinson.org.