How long have you worshipped at Saint Philip’s?
Since 1999. That’s 26 years now.

Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I wasn’t baptized but my parents required that I attend church. I would walk a mile to the bus stop, go to a Presbyterian church, and then come back home.

I attended an Episcopal girls school and a Methodist college, and married a Catholic. I eventually was baptized when our family lived across the street from an Episcopal church in Connecticut.

How are you involved in the parish?
Many years ago I was a receptionist. I then joined the Altar Guild because I enjoyed the women so much. I’m now retired as a “sustainer.” Other activities include ushering and being a money counter.

What inspires you to volunteer at church?
It makes me feel part of this community—and that makes me happy. I like being helpful and useful. It’s my way of giving back to the church what the church has given to me.

I take great pride in ushering as I am the face of the church that day. When people arrive and see me with a bright smile and feel welcomed, then I know I’ve done a great job. That’s important to me.

What’s something you find challenging?
Staying positive can be challenging. I’m generally a positive person but I confess to being afraid of the aging process.

Your fear is connected to a medical condition, correct?
It is. I have rheumatoid arthritis. It made me really sick for a few years and I had to pull back from most activities. I’m a “doer” so it was very challenging.

I now have a new medicine which helps a lot. I get the occasional flare up but, so long as I’m careful, I’m pretty good. Unfortunately, one of RA’s side effects is that I tire easily.

What did you do professionally before retiring?
I had a few jobs before I met Tom. After he and I married I stayed home to raise the kids. I was very involved in different organizations throughout that time but when I reached my late 30’s I wanted more.

So I decided to become a stock broker.

How did that come to pass?
My father died when I was 10 years old. And that’s when I took on a lot of adult responsibilities. Part of that was because of our family’s situation.

My grandfather would spend a lot of time with me and he always talked about stocks and bonds. He would take me to the bank and I would listen to him discuss the performance of different investments. It was all Greek to me then but over the years I absorbed quite a bit.

The other puzzle piece was that during my charity years I discovered that I wasn’t afraid to ask people in business if they would be willing to help. That translated into being comfortable making cold calls to prospective clients. I “dialed for dollars.”

This was in the 1980’s. How were you received by your male colleagues?
There were about 30 brokers and five of us were women. It definitely was a man’s world.

I had to go through six interviews at Smith Barney before I was hired. And even then, they spoke to Tom before giving me the job. We had teenage children at the time, and the firm wanted to make sure Tom was ok with my working despite responsibilities at home. Thankfully, Tom has always been my greatest cheerleader.

The atmosphere at work was generally collegial but there were always the outliers who didn’t like having a woman perform as well as they did.

What kept you going in those early years?
Stubbornness. Tom has always said I have a lot of grit. And I discovered that I’m very driven and competitive. I wanted to make something of myself—despite being shy.

It’s easier for me to make cold calls and greet people I don’t know than it is to share as much of myself as I am in this interview.

What did you enjoy about the work?
Making cold calls and meeting clients was my window to the world. I learned so much about humanity in general, and developed wonderful relationships with individual clients.

What’s one of your core values?
Honesty. Being able to trust people and believe what they say is foundational to me.

I think that’s because of what happened when my father died. There was a lot of family drama and relationships got severed abruptly. It was very painful.

How do you like to relax?
I enjoy doing sudoku or reading a book. I also love to putz in the yard and garden. Trimming, pulling, and digging is all very relaxing. I don’t sit around much except when forced to because of my medicine’s side effects.

What’s something you’re proud of?
That come this December I will have been married for 59 years. And that I have two wonderful children who bless my life.

What’s something you’re passionate about?
Being alive and living. I love getting up in the morning and seeing Mother Nature and the birds and the sky and the earth. I think God is beautiful. The earth is beautiful.

What’s something you know now that your younger self didn’t?
When I was younger I assumed everyone grew up as I did. It was only after I met Tom and moved that I learned that wasn’t true.

What’s something you’re grateful for?
I’m really grateful for my family and my friends. I feel so blessed to have my children and see the way they’ve turned out. They’ve been the strength of my existence.

What’s one of your super powers?
My smile. When I’m out and about and nobody knows me, I make a point to smile at a salesperson or just somebody I pass. It doesn’t take much to be a nice person and acknowledge people with a smile or a comment—and it gives them at least one kind interaction in their day.

Science has shown that those moments make a difference to people’s well-being.

Have you done something new recently?
I’ve started knitting. And Tom and I are selling our house and moving into a retirement community. That’s definitely something new.

What’s something you would still love to do?
It won’t happen but I would love to run a company. When I graduated college I would have loved to have attended the Thunderbird School of International Relations. The diplomatic world really called me.

Why didn’t you pursue that?
Because in those days families didn’t expect their daughters to be more than teachers or secretaries. I went to college with the instruction to do the best I could and enjoy those years. Maybe find a husband, too.

What have I not asked that you would like people to know?
What you see is what you get.

And what’s that?
A very straightforward simple human being . A nice person.

What’s a fun fact about you?
I enjoy good jokes. I never remember them, though, so I’m a good audience—not a teller of jokes.