How Long in Newtown: I worked at Fairfield Hills from 1952 or 53 to 1992 and during much of that time I lived on the hospital grounds. In 1990 I bought a condo in Heritage Village in Southbury.
How Long in Newtown: I worked at Fairfield Hills from 1952 or 53 to 1992 and during much of that time I lived on the hospital grounds. In 1990 I bought a condo in Heritage Village in Southbury.
Biggest Change Seen in Town: The closing of the hospital. The town doesnât have the same kind of exposure now to persons who have psychiatric needs and who may act a little oddly. The younger generation doesnât view them with the same type of empathy. When you donât see these people, it is easy to tuck their needs away â out of sight, out of mind. But so many of these former patients now are living on the streets in Danbury, Waterbury, and other towns. They are indigent and donât have the money to get help at private hospitals. It is a tragedy.
Family: I have three children. My daughter, Mary DeLucia, lives in Brookfield and works in the courts and has her own interior design company. My son, Neal, is a teacher at the University of New Mexico. He is the head of the universityâs nurses aide program. He and I both went through nursing school at the same time. My son, John, got out of the Marine Corps and moved to New Mexico too. He works in construction. I have three grandchildren: a granddaughter, Shelby, who is in law school, and her brother, Matthew, who is a sophomore at Springfield College. They are Maryâs children. And Johnâs son, Joshua, who is the slickest little guy with an incredible vocabulary for an eight-year-old.
Hobbies: I started making quilts about six years ago following a bout with ovarian cancer. I thought quiltmaking would be a way of paying back for my recovery. In the past six years I have made at least 30 quilts for different organizations to raffle off as fundraisers. I make two or three a year for the Newtown Rotary, at least two for Rotary International, and two for my church, St Paulâs Episcopal in Woodbury. One of my quilts will be on display at the libraryâs annual book sale at Bridgeport Hall at Fairfield Hills and will be raffled following the Labor Day Parade for the Rotaryâs literacy program promoting reading. At St Paulâs, I am a lay eucharistic minister who goes to the homebound to give them communion. Every other week I make chili and brownies for a soup kitchen in Waterbury. Thatâs a humbling experience, seeing even people with little children who have no place to go.
Favorite Books, Authors and TV Shows: I love Michner, also historical books, and detective stories. I like to watch courtroom programs on television.
Organizations: Iâve been in Rotary for 11 years. It is a wonderful organization. The Newtown club is especially great â they are all Godâs helpers. Harvey Sellnerâs World Help Foundation and his Rotarian helpers are bringing water purification units to people around the world. We take pure water for granted, but the lack of pure water in many countries spreads diseases like hepatitis, typhoid, and all kinds of worms. Rotary also is primarily responsible for helping to stamp out polio throughout the world. Rotarians are your next door neighbors. In countries where the people wonât trust foreign doctors, they will trust their neighbor, if their neighbor tells them they need to get their children vaccinated. Now we hope to make pure water an international Rotarian project. Iâm rewriting a book on sexually transmitted diseases for Rotary International to hand out to kids. Iâm writing it in âpopular languageâ â itâs called Just Thawt Ya Otta Know â and am revamping it and updating the statistics.
Most Vivid Memory of Newtown: On my first day of work at Fairfield Hills Hospital I was walking toward Canaan House, where I was assigned, with a friend of my mother, who also worked there. I heard a woman screaming at us from a third-floor window: âYou [obscenity], come up here and Iâll kill you.â Thatâs where I was assigned to work: 3B. But when I went up there, she jumped in my arms and started kissing me. I never had a bit of trouble with her. You canât judge people with psychiatric problems by first impressions.
Favorite Vacation Spot: I love to visit my sons in New Mexico. My companion, Dr Bob Goebel, and I try to visit Germany every year He is from Germany. I love Austria â it is incredibly beautiful. Iâm learning some German, but it is a very difficult language.
Personal Philosophy: To make the most of every day. I was very ill with ovarian cancer so every day is a good day. Iâm lucky to be alive, and Iâm having a ball.