Occupation: I retired from Reader’s Digest in 1992 to take care of my husband and my mother. I really was so happy at my job and was with them for 24 years. My job became working with every department making sure they were meeting their schedules, and if they weren’t, I’d work with them to make it happen.

Family: I had an older brother, Francis, who died of lung cancer. My younger brother, Donald, lives in Roxbury. He has two children, Joanna and Suzanne. They’re both my nieces and Godchildren. My husband, Michael, was an exceptional person — quiet, thoughtful, compassionate, fun to be with. I met him at a house function with some friends in the spring and asked him to be my date for memorial weekend, where we were going to have a picnic at Plumb Beach. We were married that September and were together for 50 years. Michael’s father died when he was very young, and he became very close to my parents. My father, Donald, lived to be 93 and my mother, Josephine, lived to be 87. My father always referred to my mother as his “little bride,” and they were married 62 years.

Pets: I’m part of a program of seniors being foster parents to older animals through the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation. I went to Danbury to look at animals in need of help, and there was one cat that let me brush him. His name was Cosmo. As a foster parent for Cosmo, I began to worry we both had become so attached to each other. Jenny Hubbard asked if I wanted to adopt him, and I did. I had him for about a year and a half, and he died in September. He was the sweetest, dearest boy. I loved him very much.

How long have you lived in Newtown? Twenty years. Newtown was the only place I could find that had everything on the list that I needed to take care of my husband, who had Parkinson’s. It was the best move I ever made because it gave him freedom.

What do you like to do in your free time? I volunteer two days a week at the Southbury Senior Center, and I go to the gym three times a week.

Do you have a favorite author? I don’t have a favorite author, but a friend recently gave me Michelle Obama’s book, and I’m going to be starting that.

What is your favorite travel destination? I’d like to go to Egypt. Last fall, I was with the Friends of Newtown Seniors doing a hot cider stand and met a man from Egypt who was a medical student spending the summer here. I told him I’d love to see the sphinx and pyramids, and he said to me, “Don’t give up. It can happen.”

What is the best part about Newtown? The people — they’re exceptional.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My parents. My mother was taken out of school to start working when she was 10 years old after the family breadwinner had died. Mom always helped us with our homework, and she learned as we learned. She never read a newspaper without a dictionary next to her. She educated herself. Before we moved to the Bronx, I was born in Manhattan, and my mom was part of the New York Chapter of the League of Women’s Club, which took care of children whose parents were working. She made us part of everything she did, which is why she was such an inspiration. My dad was an influence because of his kindness to everyone. He was the only man on our block, the rest were widows, so anything they needed, my father was there for them. He was a good neighbor.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? Barack Obama. There are so many things I’d like to ask him, say to him, and thank him for. I want to tell him how grateful I am to my country and to everyone who voted for him, that we as Americans had our first black president.

Who is your favorite musical artist? Frank Sinatra. When I was a bobby soxer, I would wait in line from 6 o’clock in the morning to get into the Paramount for him.

What is your proudest accomplishment? My job and my family. I was able to care for my parents, husband, and older brother until their last breaths and keep them comfortable and safe.