Family: My husband Ron died in 2011, so now my family consists of my sister Marilynn Chisholm; my two daughters, Cassie Smith, and her two daughters Ella and Whitney; and younger daughter Kari Pesavento, her husband Scott, and her son Brayden. I also have two first cousins, Marita Repole and Brian Repole, and nieces and nephews. It’s a small family but we’re close.

Do you have any pets? Unfortunately right now no, but I’m definitely an animal lover. I always feel fortunate when I can take care of my daughter’s beautiful golden retriever, Bowie. I have some pet birds that come to my feeders all the time too.

Career: I worked for Perkin-Elmer until my kids were born, and then I was a home-mom until my youngest was in third grade. After that I worked for The Taunton Press for 27 years. I retired in 2012. It was a great company, a very unique company, and I worked with a lot of very talented people.

What do you like to do with your free time? I love to travel. I have a Friday night dinner group that I enjoy. My whole life has evolved around outdoor activities — walking, hiking, swimming, skiing. I’m recovering from surgery but expect to get back to all those things soon.

Are you part of any clubs or organizations? Since I retired I’ve been driving for Meals on Wheels. I think they’re an exceptionally well run organization. I’m also a member and current president of Town & Country Garden Club of Newtown. We are very active in the community, and we have somebody who is an expert in every specialty of gardening — ornamental, horticulture, conservation, everything. We design and maintain the traffic islands within the Borough, and we’re always looking for new members. I’ve learned a lot from that club. I’ve also belonged to Winterset Ski Club for many years. I’ve had many wonderful ski trips, affordably priced because of that club.

If you could spend time with someone, living or deceased, who would you pick and why? As I am an advocate for more gun control, I would like to ask one of our first Presidents how they feel the Second Amendment to the Constitution is working for us now.

And on a more personal note, as much as I’d like to see my deceased husband, mom and dad, I’d love to spend time with my grandfather on my mom’s side. He came to this country all alone, in his teens, from Germany, speaking no English and made a good and prosperous life. I was 12 when he died and didn’t care much about anything other than myself and my friends. Now, too late, I’d love to know his story and his experiences.

Favorite Author? I’ve had lots of favorite authors through the years. Now I love Kristin Hannah and William Krueger. I find when I find an author, I become addicted to them and need to read all their books. I’m also into Colleen Hoover right now. I was delighted to see she’s written about 24 books.

Favorite Books? American Dirt, This Tender Land, It Ends With Us, and It Starts With Us.

Favorite Actors? Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro, because of the diversity of their roles. I also love Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Redford, and Nicole Kidman. I love the different parts all of them can play.

Favorite Movies? The last two that I’ve seen I liked — Oppenheimer and Boys On A Boat.

Favorite Movie Genre? Romantic comedies. I also love true stories though, especially if the person is still alive, like A Beautiful Mind.

Who was the greatest influence on your life? My dad. Although he and I butted heads all through my youth, I realized that he was the most influential person to me. Whenever I want to quit on anything I can’t, because of his tenacity and determination.

What is the greatest piece of advice you have ever been given? Try to be yourself, and don’t expect others to always agree or be like you.

Favorite Color: Turquoise

Do you have any pet peeves? Litterers. The nerve. I just can’t understand litterers, and I don’t like people who don’t take our environment seriously. I also do not like people who are unkind or rude, and I especially do not like people who are abusive or neglectful toward animals.

Favorite personal achievements? Being able to help people through my job in HR. I did two Jimmy Fund marathons in Boston in my 60s. I built my own 30-foot cascading waterfall. Giving birth to my daughters is my proudest achievement, though. They’re accomplishing so much. I’m so proud of them.

What is your favorite thing about Newtown? There’s so many things I love about Newtown. I think you learn a lot about your town when something terrible happens, and I think Newtown just showed such strength and resilience and kindness. I’m also very impressed with the way decisions were made about Fairfield Hills. They took it slow, and they made the right decisions for everybody in mind whether they were adults or children. I feel like it’s a go-to place. They did a great job with that.

Do you have a personal credo? Don’t take life too seriously. It’s too short. And smile. Sometimes a smile can turn somebody’s day around.