Mary
Born and raised in New York, Mary resides in the home she and her husband Frank built together after they married in 1939. Frank and Mary met when they were just 18 years old. “He drove past me in the car and pulled over to talk to me. That was it,” Mary shrugged. After a pause, Mary continued. “We had so much fun together. He used to take me dancing! He wasn’t a great dancer,” she shared with a sly smile, “but he managed to pick it up.”
Mary loved to cook and spent many Sundays entertaining the whole family. “Our basement was always filled with people. Of course, everyone came for dinner. We’re Italian!” Mary learned to cook Frank’s favorite dishes and took pride in providing for her husband. But dinner at their home was a collaborative effort. “Frank always helped with the dishes,” Mary shared proudly. “No matter how tired he felt or how busy his day was, he would pick up the dishes after dinner and help clean them. He was wonderful that way.”
Frank and Mary also traveled together. “He would take me to so many places,” she whispered whimsically. “We went to Maine, DC, Canada and Atlantic City!” Mary made a small but sharp gasp as if an unwanted memory crept back into her mind. “When we came back from our last trip to Atlantic City, we both had pneumonia,” she began. “I was so sick I couldn’t take care of him. It was a terrible feeling. We were eventually taken away in two different ambulances.” Sadness flooded Mary’s eyes and pain permeated her features. “That was the last time I saw him. I made it. He didn’t.”
After 59 years of marriage, Frank passed away in 1998. For over ten years, Mary has had to adjust to a solitary existence. Her once lively home is now silent except for the radio playing in the background. “There is an old Italian saying,” Mary offered. “It means ‘getting old is hard.’ It’s not something you think about when you’re young. You just don’t know how hard it truly is until you’re there,” she admits with melancholy.
In addition to ensuring a nutritious meal 365 days a year, Citymeals-on-Wheels offers homebound elderly New Yorkers like Mary an opportunity for human contact they so desperately need. Our Friendly Visitors program brought Pete into Mary’s life. For four years, Pete has volunteered his time to meet with Mary several times a week. Together they pick up her medicine, make trips to the bank and spend hours talking about life experiences. “I couldn’t ask for better,” Mary says of Pete. “He is a wonderful person and I’m so lucky to have him in my life. I’d be lonely without him.”
