June 18, 1926 – January 31, 2026
Doris Laurine Wolff Mellion passed away on Jan. 31, surrounded by loved ones. She was 99 years old.
Known by some as “Miss Manners,” Doris is remembered for her unfailing friendship, her generosity, sense of style and love of the arts.
Doris was born on June 18, 1926, in Freeport, New York, to Ruby and Lou Wolff and grew up in Long Beach, Long Island, New York. She attended Drexel University, during which time she frequently traveled to Jacksonville to visit her grandparents, Saul and Sarah Goffin, in their Laura Street home. Saul Goffin was a prolific businessman who established the Goffinsville Community in what is now present-day Fernandina. This self-sufficient 19-acre community included a commissary, post office, oyster-canning plant, a church and a fleet of shrimp boats. Years later, Doris and her sisters, Kiki and Barbee, rejected lucrative offers for commercial development of the property, instead selling it to the Trust for Public Land to create a park in their grandfather’s memory.
Doris spent time traveling between Philadelphia, where her mother and stepfather, Dr. Martin Sokoloff, lived, and Jacksonville, ultimately settling in the Bold City in the late 1950s. It was here that she met and married Dr. Anson Mellion, and soon after, their son Paul was born. Doris and Anson divorced a few years later, and Doris returned to Philadelphia, working at the prestigious Buchholz Gallery.
Doris and her mother returned to Jacksonville, settling in San Marco, following the passing of Doris’ stepfather, and Doris launched her career in stationery at The Emporium. In the 1980s, she opened The Write Touch, which today is a San Marco Square staple.
Fellow San Marco merchant and close friend Ward Lariscy remembers Doris as a woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, was passionate about her work, and was dedicated to her friends and family.
“She was always the fountain of knowledge and very preppy and didn’t hesitate to tell people what she thought,” Lariscy said. “Any time you needed any etiquette information, she was the expert, the Emily Post of Jacksonville.”
Doris was an active member of The Women’s Board of Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, devoting countless hours to its mission. Her efforts ultimately earned her The Board’s Abbie Martin Award for service.
Doris sold The Write Touch to Carolyn Jennings in 2006, and Jennings is honored to continue her legacy, even continuing Doris’ tradition of bringing a dog to the store.
“She was just an icon in every way,” Jennings said. “I’m happy to pick up where she left off and keep it going.” Lariscy recalled an impromptu luncheon this past December at Seafood Island Bar and Grille. As word spread that Doris was in the neighborhood, friends and merchants came to the restaurant to say hello and spend time with her, including Lariscy. He recalled the restaurant servers had to push several tables together to accommodate everyone.
“There she is, 99 and…she was having the best time,” Lariscy said.
She was predeceased by her two sisters. She is survived by her son, Paul Mellion; her nieces, Linda Umla (Vivienne Munden), Wendy Umla, Gigi Andryszewski (Rich Andryszewski), and Jill Hutchinson (Jerry Hutchinson); and her great-nephews, Cole Hutchinson and Neil Hutchinson.
