Lucy Dyal Hadi, a resident of Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee, FL, since 2011, passed away peacefully Monday, February 22, 2016. She spent her final days in comfort surrounded by family and friends. She was born on February 17, 1946 in Fernandina Beach, FL to Lucille Owens and Quintan Ansley Dyal.
Lucy graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Music Education, Cum Laude in 1968. She received her Master of Music Education/Higher Education (NDEA Fellow) in 1970. She was a member of the FSU Marching Chiefs, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Pi Kappa Lambda, Garnet Key and Tau Beta Sigma. One of her greatest joys was attending FSU sporting events with her late husband, Leslie. Cheering for FSU Football, Basketball and especially Women’s Basketball were events they looked forward to each season.
Lucy was a pioneer in public administration in Florida and, upon her retirement, left a lasting legacy in human service and workforce policy in Florida. Her career included service with the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Children and Families, the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Department of Education, the Florida Senate and the Office of the Governor. Throughout her distinguished career, she developed policies and implemented programs that helped thousands of Floridians improve their economic self-sufficiency and become more productive citizens. She was a role model for women in management and an inspirational leader for all who worked with her.
Her accomplishments are as long as her record of public service, but have a common thread. She was a champion for the needs of Florida’s most vulnerable citizens and worked to find ways for people to move from whatever their current circumstance toward reaching their full potential. She worked tirelessly for those individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness. Through her vision solutions were developed to move individuals from a state institution format to a home-like setting in their community, close to family. In addition, she led reforms in foster care and child protection. Under her leadership, Florida charted a path toward community-based care and completed the transformation of its child welfare system. Lucy’s vision was, If at the end of the time that Im here it can be said that we’ve improved our ability to be a good partner, we have improved the outcomes for children and families and vulnerable adults, and the staff of this organization is better prepared to lead then I will feel honored and blessed.
In her work as DCF Deputy Secretary and then as DCF Secretary, Ms. Hadi faced a challenge unprecedented in recent Florida history. In the summer of 2004 Florida had a series of unwelcome visitors. Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jean arrived in rapid succession. These hurricanes devastated the state. To serve the affected citizens, Florida had to implement a Disaster Food Stamp Program on a scale never before seen. Under Ms. Hadi's leadership, the “Food for Florida” program was begun, but the agency was rapidly overwhelmed by applications. There were tens of thousands of paper applications, far beyond the capacity to process. The state needed an automated solution, and needed it fast. Over the course of 72 hours, Ms. Hadi assembled the key staff who developed a prototype web application. Her dear friend, Senator Toni Jennings, shared her tireless dedication to assisting those in need was never more obvious than during the aftermath of Florida’s four devastating hurricanes in 2004. Lucy’s rapid fire approach to meeting the needs of literally tens of thousands of Floridians (Food for Florida) has had recognition across the country.
She was a courageous leader and a devoted wife to her late husband Leslie. The values of hard work, honesty and respect for others that she learned as a girl growing up in Fernandina Beach followed her in all her career and she provided many young women with a model of what a public servant should be. In consideration of Lucy’s lifelong commitment to the welfare of children, the family request that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the children’s charity of your choice.
Lucy was preceded in death by her parents and stepfather, The Reverend Nelson P. Moyer, and husband, Leslie Hadi. Lucy is survived by her stepdaughters Diana Hadi Padgett (Joel) of Tallahassee, FL, Jeanette Hadi of Santa Fe, NM, and cousins Mary Kay Montford, John C. Featherston, Lynn O. McCloskey, Ruby O. Wood, Patricia L. Hamilton, William R. Featherston, Nella Craig, Karen Owensby, K. Rhydon Owens, Jean Boles and Helen Odom.
Special thanks to the loving staff of Westminster Oaks, who cared tenderly for Lucy over the past several years.
Funeral Services will be held from the graveside at 11:00 am on Friday, May 13, 2016. Mrs. Hadi will be laid to rest along with her husband of 41 years, Leslie Hadi in the family section in Bosque-Bello Cemetery.
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors