Occupation: I was a travel consultant working out of Southbury and Oxford airport and now I’m retired. Actually, most of the small travel agencies have gone out of business because people book over the Internet now.

 

How Long In Newtown: I’ve lived in Newtown for 37 years in the very same house. We moved here in 1967, when I was pregnant with my second child.

 

Biggest Change You Have Seen In Town: Nearly all of my closest friends who once lived in the Eden Hill area have retired and moved away. They were pilots and corporate people and they all came from out of state. We were like family. Our children grew up together and we helped each other through emergencies. I know times change and people move on, but I miss that closeness.

 

Family: My husband Andrew is an engineer at Goodrich in Wooster Heights in Danbury. He’s a metallurgist and has been with that company for 23 years. We went to Danbury High School together.

We have three children. Our daughter, Siobhan, is the oldest and lives in Fairfield. Stephen lives in Boston, Mass., and Christopher lives in Seymour. He’s the father of my first grandbaby, Kianna, who is 5 months old.

 

Hobbies: We love to travel. I’m a real water person, so I swim, kayak, snorkel –– you name it. I always want to be near lakes or the ocean.

 

Pets: We’re all allergic so we don’t have pets. I do have a decorative stuffed parrot hanging in our Caribbean sun porch but luckily he doesn’t need any attention.

 

Favorite Book: I like reading happy stories.

 

Organizations: I’ve been president of the

Middle Gate School Parent Teachers Organization for two years, and I was vice president of the state PTO.

For 25 years, I served as Disaster Chairman for the American Red Cross, which meant getting up in the middle of the night and opening a shelter in Edmond Town Hall. It seemed like fires and emergencies always happened on weekends. Whatever floods or devastations there were, we had to mop up, see about getting assistance, file paper work, etc. In the case of fires, people need food, clothing, and shelter immediately, so we worry about the first 48 hours. It was easier when we had Hawley Manor as a place to put people up. Now Newtown is becoming a corporate suitcase town and it’s getting harder to find affordable places to stay overnight.

Most Vivid Memory About Newtown: Going to the tree lighting ceremony with close friends. And riding to the Labor Day Parade in the back of Jim Edmond’s pickup truck. He was a retired pilot for American Airlines. All the ladies had lawn chairs and brought goodies and we got to ride while the men walked. We would watch the parade from the same spot each year, in front of the police station.

 

Favorite Vacation Spot: We lived one year in Portugal, and we’ve traveled to France, Bora Bora, Tahiti, and nearby Moorea, which is part of the French Polynesian island chain. That was my favorite. We took that trip in February 2003 for our 40th anniversary. The sunsets and sunrises were unbelievable.

In Bora Bora, I saw pineapple plants, and the island is known for its black pearls found in the oysters. We visited the place where the musical South Pacific was filmed.

 

Personal Philosophy: I try to live each day as a gift, and I make the most of the good days. On bad days I try to remember that life will go on and the next day will be better. I have suffered from seasonal depression, which can be a paralyzing, debilitating disease. So I take one day at a time, try to live in the moment, and keep hopeful.