Occupation: I'm retired from Bayer Health Care where I spent 15 years. Before that I was in sales and marketing industry, and I was a nurse. Now I'm a volunteer and having a ball.
Occupation: Iâm retired from Bayer Health Care where I spent 15 years. Before that I was in sales and marketing industry, and I was a nurse. Now Iâm a volunteer and having a ball.
Family: My husband Mike and I have been married 19 years. I have four sisters and a brother, 15 nieces and nephews, 40 great-nieces and nephews, and four great-greats plus one on the way.
Pets: During our working careers both of us traveled a lot, so it was hard to have pets â unless you count the woodchucks and deer and all of the other wildlife in the backyard.
How long have you lived in Newtown? We have been here for 15 years, minus three that we lived over in Italy.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to travel, to cook, read, and hike. The most important thing is spending time with my friends and family.
Do you have a favorite book? I read all kinds of things. The most recent thing I read is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Another good book was The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Iâm in a book club and it encourages me to read things I might not have otherwise. And Iâm always happy to have a cookbook or cooking magazine. I love Marcella Hazen. The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is the Bible of Italian cooking.
Do you have a favorite travel destination? There are three: Maine, because I love the coastline; the Rocky Mountains; or anyplace in Italy. We especially like the Italian Alps area. There are places there that you can take a ski lift up the Italian side and ski down the Swiss side â bring your passport.
What is the best thing about Newtown? The Main Street, and I like the way the community comes together for things. Iâm very involved with the Relay For Life and Kevinâs Community Center, where I volunteer as a nurse and I run the advisory board and do a little of everything. I like that the town supports these kinds of initiatives.
If you could travel to the past or future, which would you choose? I have to say the past. There are so many great people, like Lewis and Clark, to meet. Or what about meeting Marie Antoinette or the pioneers in their covered wagons? In Pompeii, the infrastructure of a city that is 7th Century BC â to know the minds of these people would be so interesting.
Do you have a personal philosophy? Donât judge the book by its cover. Donât be judgmental. Try to see through facades and looks to see the inner core of a person, and then treat them with kindness. Itâs not about the things, itâs about the people.
Do you have a guilty pleasure? Chocolate and red wine. Dark chocolate and Amarone wines from the Veneto area of Italy, especially. And I even like Grappa.