A Legacy of Love at Saint John’s Hospice: Sally Lou Oaks Loveman Remembers Late Father Through Service
It seems unlikely that Chicago resident Sally Lou Loveman – nationally-renowned speaker, author, coach, and former audience producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show – would have a connection to Saint John’s Hospice (SJH) in Philadelphia. However, unpeel the layers and you’ll find a relationship now spanning three generations.
Loveman’s father, Dr. Wilbur “Billy” Oaks, was a well-known and respected physician and educator in the Philadelphia region. While working at Hahnemann University Hospital and raising three daughters with his wife, Mary Ann Skelton Oaks, he provided free clinics to residents of SJH, one the city’s oldest shelters assisting men experiencing homelessness, from 1982-2000.
Dr. Oaks died in 2015 at age 86 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. However, his passion for service lives on through Loveman, her husband, Mitchell, and her children, Carly, Marin and Billy. For the last two holiday seasons, while in town visiting relatives, the family has helped serve lunch to SJH residents and community members experiencing homelessness. They are actively working on a plan to volunteer there more frequently.
“We’re just a family that is trying to honor my dad in the way that he lived his life,” said Loveman.
Dr. Oaks’ put his “heart and soul” into serving the men living at SJH, said Loveman, to the point where the relationship went well beyond checking their vitals. An alum of Lafayette College, where he served as captain of the soccer team, he started his own soccer team in 2009 – Body and Soul – made up entirely of men from SJH. The team regularly practiced at 44th and Haverford.
As stated in a Drexel University (formerly Hahnemann) publication, the City of Philadelphia honored Dr. Oaks for his efforts with the SJH residents, noting that Body and Soul “offers opportunities for homeless people in Philadelphia … to develop successful life skills with the goal of becoming productive citizens.”
Dr. Oaks was also recognized by former President George H. W. Bush with the 1000 Points of Light Award for his service and dedication to SJH. The Points of Light Awards honors individuals who embody service and volunteerism, which Bush championed during his administration.
“Even if it’s just taking a moment to smile at someone and tell them, ‘You’re doing great …’ that’s what matters,” said Loveman. “That’s what my dad passed on to me, and I think my husband and I passed that to our kids.”
Loveman and family were all smiles on December 23, 2024, during their second visit to SJH. Loveman and her younger daughter, Carly, greeted individuals coming in to be served while Marin, Billy and Mitchell served lunch.
For Carly, the positive energy from residents and community members was contagious.
“Everyone we interacted with had a smile on their face,” said Carly, a producer of Peloton Interactive in New York. “No matter what kind of day that they were having, it was just like, ‘I’m blessed to be here and I’m blessed to be in this line and getting food.’ People just seemed grateful for the little things.”
“The holidays can be a really hard time for these individuals,” said Marin, a marketing strategist for Maximum Effort in New York. “To be able to serve them and offer well wishes and prayers, during this time especially, is a really nice thing.”
Mitchell said the “well-oiled machine” that is SJH’s staff made volunteering an easily enjoyable experience.
“They know what they’re doing, and so we just got plugged in along with them,” he said. “They pave the way for people who want to volunteer. They’ve made it very easy for us.”
“We were so blessed to have Sally Lou and her family at Saint John’s,” said Marion “Tootsie” D’Ambrosio, former events and volunteer coordinator. “It was such a wonderful pleasure to meet them. My husband, Mikey D., who worked at Saint John’s for 15 years, used to tell me how wonderful Dr. Oaks was. I look forward to working with the family in the future.”
Billy, Loveman’s son, is grateful for his unique connection to Dr. Oaks.
“I’m proud to share my grandfather’s name and hope to continue to serve like he did,” he said.
Loveman has applied her dad’s passion for helping others shine to her professional life as an audience producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show for over 20 years, as well as in the opportunities that followed. Through her business, lovespeaks, LLC, she helps her clients develop confidence to speak in front of audiences and tell their personal stories.
“I really have more impact with people individually by helping them get to the root of their story and tell it in a concise, 10-minute way that builds up their confidence to be able to speak without fear.”
On the contrary, sometimes it can be hard to muster up the courage to help others, as Loveman has recognized. To that, she offers one advice: Remember how helping others makes you feel.
“It’s a lasting feeling that makes people feel good. We all ought to be in service to others because it’s what helps makes us feel connected to ourselves and to God.”
Saint John’s Hospice, a program of the Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is a nationally recognized leader in providing essential residential and day services, acting as a beacon of hope for those experiencing homelessness. For more information about volunteering or to make a donation, visit www.saintjohnshospice.org.