Occupation: I’m basically retired. I still work part-time at TJ Maxx, because I like to keep active and have travel money. I’ve always really enjoyed retail and worked at Lord & Taylor and Ethan Allen. I was also a teacher, I owned a deli/catering business for 20 years, I was an administrative assistant — I’ve done many things.

Family: I have a son, John, who is a principal at Stratford High. My daughter, Lori Ann, is in accounting and lives up in Keene, New Hampshire. I have five grandsons.

Pets: After Natasha, my German Shepherd, died I decided not to have anymore. She was a peach.

How long have you lived in Newtown? About 20 years. Before then, I had been working at Bicom in Monroe and was living in Stratford. My husband had died before then, in 1986, and the house was too big. I saw an ad for a condo in Newtown, put a deposit on it, and bought it.

What do you like to do in your free time? My favorite is getting to travel. I also like line dancing, crocheting, and volunteering with the VNA, Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS), Christian Women’s Connection, and St Rose Church. I keep busy.

Do you have a favorite book? Not really, but I like historical fiction like Les Misérables.

What is your favorite travel destination? I really love cruising. I don’t have a favorite destination I return to all the time because I want to experience new places now and not go back to the same place — except for Paris. I’ve done an Alaskan cruise, a transcontinental cruise, and a river cruise from Paris to Normandy, which was one of my favorites. The next one I’m going to is a Mediterranean cruise in May.

What is the best part about Newtown? The friends I have made here and its resiliency. Also, I love the Edmond Town Hall for the movies and the events they have there. It’s a great facility. I love the Sunday Cinemas that they do.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mother. She was of Polish descent, and I remember her saying to me once, when she had gone back to work, “I want to have my own money.” Back then in the ‘50s, that wasn’t typical for women to be working. From that, I learned to be responsible for your own finances. If there is one thing I could say to somebody, men or women, is to learn what your finances are because life can change in an instant.

Who is your favorite musical artist? Elvis Presley. He was so versatile, and I love his diction. He would pronounce his words so carefully. He did gospel music, rock, and pop — he was so well-rounded. I also love Barbra Streisand and Anne Murray.

Do you have a favorite TV show? I like the BBC and watching historical shows like Victoria and Downton Abbey.

What is your favorite food? Polish food — pierogies with sautéed cabbage. Also, lobster rolls. That’s a close second.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Someone I was in business with told me “Find your own style and dress the way you are comfortable, because if you are comfortable, you are always going to make the people around you comfortable, too.”

What is something you cannot live without? God and my faith. That sustains me through many, many things.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My children. They’re accomplished, well-grounded, real people and their children are, too.