Remembering Jeff Nokes
Jeff Nokes, past President Columbia Poodle Club
April 26, 1950 - September 26, 2022
Mr. Jeff Nokes started his distinguished career as a professional dog handler at a young age in California— lasting over fifty years, and mostly of Poodles. Although Nokes worked with all three varieties of Poodles in his half-a-century career, his main love was the Toy Poodle. Later in life, he moved to Oregon, where he connected with other poodle lovers and became President of the Columbia Poodle Club, a nonprofit serving Portland and Southwest Washington
Jeff Nokes and his poodle.
Nokes was not only a professional dog handler but also a mentor for all people interested in showing Poodles. He helped many learn how to take proper care of them, groom them, and show them to their best. He would always be available to Poodle breeders for puppy evaluations, and many a champion was picked following his very detailed analysis.
Mr. Nokes treated everyone with respect, kindness, and complete honesty. He gave his time freely for teaching handling and grooming classes, usually for the benefit of the Columbia Poodle Club. He was known internationally and by invitation, went to China for seminars on grooming the show Poodle.
He always remembered holidays and would send cards to his many friends, even on Halloween. He frequently sent thank you cards to others for helping with Poodles and dog shows. His beautiful, handwritten, and legible script everyone appreciated as his notes reflected his skill and talent for art and beauty.
Jeff Nokes and another Columbia Poodle Club member, Barbara Curry, often traveled together to grade Miniature poodle litters and to go to Poodle Club of America (PCA) events. She says, “Jeff loved his Toy poodles and was more like a mother to them than just a breeder— always very precise in his handling of them.” He was also known for having a gentle hand with his dogs, and being a harsh critic of judges who didn’t!
Jeff Nokes showing Ch Mimosa of Heatherly.
One of the first Toy Poodles Jeff finished was Ch Black Light of Sassafras. Montec Poodles purchased this Toy from him, and Sassafras launched a very successful line, producing winning Poodles for many years.
The last champion that he co-bred and showed was Ch Mimosa of Heatherly, with a Best of Variety (BOV) and Group 3. During his last days in the hospital, Jeff held her in his arms close to his heart.
Jeff Nokes winning with Ch Mimosa of Heatherly
Very good friend Beverly Jean Nelson said that Jeff Nokes became one of the top Toy breeders ever in the U.S., under the name of Epitome Poodles. Jeff also helped his brother David to breed and show many lovely Standard Poodles. Whatever the Variety, Jeff wanted “Everything to be pretty!”
When new people joined the Columbia Poodle Club, Jeff took them under his wing to help them in whatever area they needed with their show Poodles. He even cut out two of Jeff Smith’s first two homebred Standard Poodles as he said, “I don’t do Standards anymore, but for you, I will with these old rusty scissors that still work great . . . now let me show you how . . . (with a glint in his eyes) don’t tell anyone that I worked on Standards today!”
As a leader in the Columbia Poodle Club, and encouraged by Beverly Jean Nelson, Jeff Nokes chaired the 2013 PCA Regional held in Salem, Oregon. This turned into a very successful four-day show with many participants who would not normally be able to attend the Nationals held in Maryland. As Beverly said, “Thanks to Jeff’s leadership, this turned into the best Regional ever held, equal to the national PCA shows!”
Mr. Nokes, as he liked to be called, “should have been a teacher,” says his close friend Michele Slater, who said her kids could ask Jeff anything, and he would answer with patience.
Jeff traveled many roads with friends, and one of his best friends, Dee Hanna, remembers Jeff as a very thoughtful and attentive person who could take an unruly dog and “get into their head” by building rapport with it, and ultimately, dancing with the Poodle. He was able to individualize each dog’s needs and find out how to get the dog to do his best in the ring.
But Jeff Nokes knew about a lot more than Poodles - architecture, art, music, and most of all the game of Jeopardy. Michele Slater said, “You would lose if you ever went up against him in the game, especially when he played with his partner Don. (Jeff’s partner Don Walker preceded Jeff in passing several years ago.)” The only reason he didn’t go on the actual game show on TV, Jeff said, was “I can’t push the damn button fast enough because of all the dog grooming—too much arthritis!”
Jeff also enjoyed crossword puzzles, but when the newspapers stopped printing them, he would not go online to find them. Jeff adamantly refused to own any internet device, saying he was just “too stubborn” to learn “online stuff,” but he quickly learned all the information his friends could provide him on shows and judges with theirs! Finally, after some harassment by friends, Jeff got a cell phone, still an older flip phone! And email, no way—just bring him a stack of hard copy crossword puzzles.
Jeff Nokes and two black poodles.
When not doing trivia or crossword puzzles, Jeff liked to cook gourmet meals, having collected a massive number of cookbooks. He cooked fancy dinners for himself, as well as the Poodles under his care. Jeff’s friends joke that his Poodles ate better meals than most humans, but Sundays were McDonald’s cheeseburgers (hold the pickles, please) for his Poodles. Consequently, Jeff never had a skinny dog!
Whenever his good friends hear a phone ring, their first reaction is to think Jeff Nokes must be calling them. And whenever his friends had a question about Poodles—that no one else knew the answer to, they thought about calling Jeff.
Members of the Columbia Poodle Club will never replace his fifty years of wisdom in selecting judges, designing show schedules or his ability to handle every detail of a successful show sponsorship. We all miss Mr. Nokes every day—may he rest in peace with all the bells ringing and all his Poodles barking for him.
Submitted by: Jeff Smith, President, and Paula Morgan, Secretary, Columbia Poodle Club
