Meet M–age 80+.  She has been widowed 11 years and had two sons.  One son died unexpectedly after finishing college and becoming engaged–two years before the death of her husband.  In spite of lot of unhappiness in a short span of time, she continues to live in the home where she and her husband raised their sons.  She has one married son, who lives less than an hour away.

M was a stay-at-home mom, then held a responsible office position at a company’s headquarters while her boys were in college.  In addition she helped her mother (who lived nearby) to live independently until her mother fell and broke both wrists at age 104.  The next four years, with her mother in a nursing home at the doctor’s recommendation, M. continued to be a responsible, caring daughter at an age when many her age have adult children caring for them. Her mother died at 108 (and voted in the 2004 elections).

M has been involved in volunteer work since her husband died.  She was president of a club of 300+ women and today handles rentals for the historic building that houses that club.

The phrase “she has a good head on her shoulders,” describes M.  She is so sound, thinks logically, needs the good sense of humor she’s been blessed with, and must have the patience of a saint. Consider: rentals for weddings, birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs, christenings, memorial services and local events.  Think: stressed brides, opinionated mothers, stressed mothers, party planners, mourning family members.

M’s experience and balanced way of looking at and dealing with the world make her a natural for this panel.

She shares her recent hearing aid experience in a May post.