Occupation: Currently, I work part-time. I have my own practice as a career counselor. I’ve been doing that for nine years, since I retired from the Connecticut Labor Department. I did that for 20 years and loved it. What could be better than helping people get a better start in life?

Family: I was married to Bill Bailey for 38 years. He passed away almost four years ago. We raised four children together; the three oldest by my first husband, George Gernand, a career Army Pilot: Jonathan, Ben, and Jennifer “Pete.” Karen Bailey Golder, our youngest, lives in Newtown with her husband, Chuck. I have two grandchildren, Zoey and Dylan.

Pets: I have an 8-year-old Chinook rescue, Amazing Grace. She has two 10-year-old cat brothers, who she tolerates, Solomon and Pepper. They are both authentic Connecticut barn cats.

How long have you lived in Newtown? Since 1970. I had grown up in Fairfield, and my brother moved to Newtown. I always liked the look of the town. We used to drive through it when I was a kid on the way to Candlewood Lake.

What do you like to do in your free time? I like to travel, read, spend time with friends and family, and do a lot of volunteer work. I’m currently on the Board of Directors for Nunnawauk Meadows, and I’m their out-going president. I’m involved in Newtown Woman’s Club and have been co-chair of the Ornament Committee for three years. I volunteer with the Northern Fairfield County Professionals that meet at St Rose once a month. I’m active member of local and national counseling associations.

Do you have a favorite book? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Boys in The Boat by Daniel James Brown.

What is your favorite travel destination? Anywhere with salt water and sailboats. Since I retired, I’ve been to Ireland and Spain a couple times — I love Barcelona. I’ve also been to Turkey, Czech Republic, Prague, Israel, Cuba, and the St Martin and St Lucia Islands. The last place on my bucket list is Hungary, because I’m half Hungarian.

What is the best part about Newtown? The closeness of the people. They care about each other. They give themselves so freely and willingly for the good of others.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My grandmother, Elizabeth Kovacs Medve. She came to this country from Hungary when she was 15 and worked for seven years to pay for her passage. She then married her husband, who died within ten years and left her with four children to raise on her own. She didn’t speak English, but two of her children went to college, and my father earned membership in the National Honor Society. She believed in doing the best you could do, no matter what. She lived to be 102 and once remarked to us that she was proud of the way we all turned out. My cousin Ken looked at her and said, “Well, Grandma, we were only following your lead.”

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? My mom. My grandmother taught me how to work hard, but my mom taught me to have fun. I’d want to spend the day the way we use to spend them. We’d go shopping, out to lunch, and talk about our important things.

Who is your favorite musical artist? The Rolling Stones. My favorite song is “Paint It Black.”

Do you have a favorite TV show? NCIS. I’ve been watching the show since the beginning.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Dr Harold Burke was my mentor and would say, ‘Try it, Pat, and see what happens.”

What is your proudest accomplishment? When I was 21 years old, I was in a leadership role with a group of college students, and we formed the Fairfield County Airlift. It was 1965, and it was a time with so much unrest about the Vietnam War. I had just had my first child, and my husband was in Vietnam. We got together and decided to collect gifts for the soldiers that they could keep in their knapsack. We collected thousands of pounds of stuff.