“I graduated from hospice care three years ago. They took me off my medications, and I got better! That’s when Peter and I moved into The Park Danforth. We love it here.”

“I was a social worker and gestalt therapist. This career opened me up and broadened me to a lot of things. After working in various mental health and service settings, I went into private practice and absolutely loved it. I finally had the time to really know my clients.”

“My philosophy… Think about it tonight and make your decision tomorrow morning.”

“A special time was when we took a motorcycle tour of Europe. We would stay in different castles. Something I thought I’d never do. We were the oldest ones on the tour, and we were always in the back. I don’t like danger a whole lot, but I do like adventure!”

June 2025

“I like the fact of The Park Danforth being a nonprofit and the HUD option for people. I’m a big social justice person, and having the HUD accessibility and us all being part of the same community is really special here.”

“I never thought of being a nurse until my senior year in high school. A friend told me about nursing, and I decided immediately that it was for me. My mother wanted me to go to St. Joseph’s College where I had a scholarship, but I persisted in my goal of becoming a nurse. I always considered my work in nursing as my ministry. I think I wanted to get into the heart of life – connect with real life."

“Don’t fear aging. It is another stage of life, and it has a great deal of richness and beauty and sadness too. I’ve lost my five closest friends, my inner circle. I’m on the bereavement ministry at church and go to a lot of funerals. My younger brother says I go to so many funerals I don’t have time for my own!”
                            June 2025

“I’ve never been bored a day in my life!”

“My neighbors at The Park Danforth know me as a social butterfly.”

“I have many fond memories, but one that stands out is my move to Greenwich Village in NYC at 18. My aunt invited me for a visit, and I fell in love and stayed! I loved everything about it, especially the night life.”

June 2025

"I am very happy to be at Park Danforth as this is my neighborhood.  I have lived in Portland all my life & spent my schooling from kindergarten through college on Stevens Avenue."

"Here I have met up with long-time friends and been happy to meet new ones.  The staff here is very helpful and I enjoy the many activities that are available for us."

 "My son and daughter and three of my seven grandchildren live nearby, and I am able to visit with them often.  Family, music, church and Eastern Star have been a large part of my life and I am still able to enjoy them."

June 2025

“I had two careers. My background was in municipal finance. My first was as finance director for the town of Scarborough and later for the Portland Metro where I was GM for 13 years.”

“Then I wanted to make a change. I hired a holistic career counselor, and, in one hour, we decided that I wanted to run a bed and breakfast in an urban setting and for adults only. I found an old, dilapidated Queen Anne House to renovate, and ran it for nine years. It was a great opportunity, meeting people from all over the world. I even visited some, including a trip to Israel.”

“I love to knit. I do Scandinavian sweaters which are quite complicated. I’ve knitted sweaters for everyone in the family.”

“My Dad was from Denmark, and his philosophy was that you have to work, work, work. I’ve always said that I want to live as long as I am productive. Now in a place like this, I really appreciate my health. I knew before I moved in that I would be happy here. I never look back.”         

June 2025

“I am a master gardener, and I was doing it all myself. I had fifty rose bushes and an eight-room house. I told my family I was thinking of moving, and they jumped for joy!”

“I had several friends at The Park Danforth, so it was a community for me from the start. I am a volunteer and do a lot of outreach work. This morning, I made PBJ sandwiches for people in need.”

“Roses are my favorite. They are very showy. I used to belong to the Maine Rose Society. I have a hybrid tea, a double knockout, and a floribunda.”

“I worked at Maine Medical Center, and my job was helping patients get their bills paid. I had a way of calming people in talking to them. Patients are sick. They don’t want to deal with insurance companies.”

“Family means everything to me. I have a son and daughter, and two grandsons. My oldest just became a fire chief. He’s only 30. He always wanted to be a fireman even when I was cuddling him as a little boy.”

June 2025

“I was born and raised in York, Maine. After I married my first husband, John, we moved to San Jose where I started my career as a dental hygienist. We had two girls together. My second husband, Ken, was a publisher in Colorado Springs. We lived there for many years too.”

“I am a chatty cappy. I get along with most people. Some think of me as a dippy. I try to be kind. I’ll try anything. I was a middle child.”

“I loved watching Cabin Masters on TV. I was so homesick for Maine! Ken had Parkinson’s disease, and I eventually became his caregiver. We decided to move back to my home state for our final years.”

“I once traveled Europe for three months by myself. My father said that I have gumption. I like that word!”

“I became an archeology tech at age 55! It was much the same as dental hygiene. You sit and dig! I wanted to do something big, and I love history.”

“I like old people, and now I am one!”

August 2025

“My dog, Diva, is like the mascot here. Even people I don’t know come up and say, Diva, how are you?”

“I am part of the Energy Circle, and I helped to start the Life Review Group. I fell in love with it. My friend and I have run it for a year and a half now.”

“I had a couple of careers. I was an elementary school teacher for 25 years. Then I trained to do a form of body-centered psychotherapy – Rubenfeld Synergy – and became a registered therapist. It was an interesting way to serve others. I like the idea of touch. To be able to talk with people and ask about their awareness… it was special.”

“Family is the most precious thing in my life. I was a stay-at-home Mom for 10 years. I am glad I did it.”

“I’ve traveled a lot in my life. One place was India. I was there for a month at age 60 as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. We carried in supplies for a new housing development.”

“I’m a vegan. I love learning. I always say, ‘be curious’ and ‘keep moving.’ I still cross-country ski!”

August 2025

“Joan and I were married 42 years. We lived in Saco when she passed. The house got to be too much for me, so I moved to The Park Danforth.”

“Living here has been a positive experience. I am the Chairman of the Town Hall group. That’s given me a chance to get involved, learn things, and meet people.”

“I grew up in Falmouth, went to college in Gorham, got drafted, and eventually earned a graduate degree in education. We lived in update NY where I was Director of the Northern Education Center and then the Catskill Education Center.”

“I was in the reserves for six years. I was in civil affairs. Our role was to go into a war zone, find out where the libraries and museums were located, and work with local people to protect their cultural icons. I guess you could say I was a monument man!”

“I have the most wonderful younger sister, Jane, who has incorporated me into her family here.”

“I strive to be happy, know things and people, and enjoy long walks. I strive to maintain good health.”

August 2025

“We had a party last night for my 90th birthday. I invited everybody and 50 came! My daughter gave me a karaoke machine. Most seemed to like it.”

“I enjoy my life. I enjoy meeting people. I am on the hospitality committee at The Park Danforth. I was a Stephen Minister at my old church in Florida.”

“Family is everything to me. My mother and father were very instrumental in my taking the right path. I have three daughters and seven grandchildren. They’ve all been here to visit me.”

“I earned my degree in education at Auburn University. I acted there too. I played the lead character in My Sister Eileen! I taught high school English and Speech classes for many years. I also directed plays!”

“At 15, I won a beauty contest in Talladega. Lash La Rue, a movie star from Hollywood, was there and said the winner could be in one of his films. I ended up with parts in two: Vanishing Outpost and Thundering Trails.”

“My other love is music and playing the piano. I organized a signing group called Sing Along here.”

August 2025

“I had five children – all women. They are all scattered now. One is in Maine. I lived in Vermont most recently to be near my grandchildren. When they were grown, I came here to Portland and The Park Danforth. I like the freedom here.”

“I owned a flower shop – Curlies – for many years in Sharon, Massachusetts. Many of my customers were Jewish. Once they got to know me, they were very loyal and became my friends. It’s all about relationships. They’d just stop in for coffee and a chat. I loved it!”

“I am cheerful, enjoy a good time, like sports, and feel that I am well-rounded. I can enjoy myself with small children and seniors alike.”

“I’m still independent and drive my car – a yellow Kia. Everyone knows when I leave.”

August 2025

“When I was about 9 years old, I decided I wasn’t going to be a minister like my father. I went to the UMaine to avoid the ministry. When I got there, however, I got involved in the Maine Christian Association and loved it!”

“I was a counselor at Camp Mechuwana in Winthrop, Maine. I met my wife, Jane, there.”

“I overheard Jane talking to a young minister. The Methodist Church had just started ordaining women in 1956. He was encouraging her. I heard Jane say, ‘I don’t want to do that, but I might like to marry a minister!’ ‘So, I thought, maybe I better rethink my plan and become a minister!’”

“My ministry as a church pastor was all in Maine, but I also worked elsewhere. I traveled as a Conference Executive and later as a Regional Superintendent. I was first nominated to become a Bishop in 1988, and four years later became one!”

Family is everything to me. I am now writing the story of my father’s family. I want our kids and grandkids to know where they came from. Our ancestors started in Salem, Massachusetts.
                                    August 2025

“Cliff and I experienced mothers who needed to move but didn’t. We had to force it. We didn’t want to do that to our children, so we had it in our minds to do this sooner and build new community.”

“I was very interested in supporting my husband’s work in ministry, and being a teacher allowed me to find work anywhere. It worked out well.”

“It was a very fulfilling career, but my first years were stressful. At first, I didn’t know how to look mean! I soon learned and the kids responded. I liked seeing them grow in their skills and self-confidence.”

“I am child of divorce, so it’s always been a huge thing for me to have a strong family. We have three grown children – all married – and established in their careers, and seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild!”

“I am conscientious, persistent, and caring. I love creativity and art, and I’ve done some painting.”

August 2025

“I was in business with the Schlotterbeck & Foss Company. I spent a fair amount of time there. A good company. A successful opportunity for me.”

“I worked in computing at LL Bean for a long time, too. It was also a good opportunity.”

“I had lots of hobbies. I was an athlete until I got a leg injury. I used to run. I did all kinds of stuff.”

“I get to meet people here at The Park Danforth, connect, and teach them things. I enjoy working with people.”

“I had four wives, and that’s usually enough. I have a girlfriend, now, who I like to go out places with.”

“The future is like the past, it disappears.”

“I love the Red Sox. It was a thrilling experience for me to see them play as a kid. I had a favorite player, but I can’t keep track now.”

August 2025

“I’ve lived very rurally for the past 50 years off a dirt road in Montville. I had a big garden. I loved it.”

“As I got older, there were too many things to keep up with. My son and daughter-in-law live a few miles from here, and they encouraged me to move to Portland. I like being close to my grandchildren.”

“Photography is my lifelong hobby. My favorite uncle used to take me on photo shoots as a child. I recall going to a pond with him, and he spent all day taking just one photo! He wanted the best shot.”

“I love doing portraits of animals and birds, as well as shooting flowers. I create a photo calendar for family and friends every year.”

 “I was a special education teacher. I worked in private and public schools, including the Palermo School. This work is what sustained and nurtured me. It was creative, an outlet for compassion, and intellectually stimulating.”

August 2025

“I served in the Navy for four years. I was on two heavy cruisers in the Mediterranean, the 6th Fleet. Each were the Admiral’s flag ships.”

“My career was in academia. I now teach at OLLI. Counting that, I’ve been teaching for 55 years! I’m an American Historian. I went to UMaine and later earned my PhD at Temple University.”

“I specialize in late 19th and early 20th century, especially social and cultural history. I published articles on work I did in Manchester, CT, which was the home of one of the largest silk mills in the country. I did a lot there on immigration and labor history.”

“I also taught women’s history. I was a part-time professor at a community college and later at UConn. Another job was the Director of the Institute of Local History in Connecticut. I love historical preservation work!”

“My philosophy of life is to keep on going by doing something useful.”

August 2025

“My father was Dean of the American University in Egypt. I was born there. We lived in Cairo during WW2 until Rommell came through and we went to Sudan.”

“I later went to school in the US. I eventually earned my PhD, married my first husband, and moved back to Cairo to teach for a few years. I was in Egypt many years later when I became acquainted with John – my current husband – by email.”

“I moved back to the US in 1967 and taught at Bowling Green State University for 25 years. Oral history was a big part of my career. I did a lot of interviewing of well-known women during this time.”

“John and I had a condo on Washington Avenue. We both noticed the passage of time. We had a friend at The Park Danforth we visited. I am also a member of the OLLI Singers, and we performed here. It was an easy decision to move here.”

“People comment that I do a lot. I was a hospice volunteer. I was also active in the World Affairs Council of Maine. I didn’t move mountains, but I tried my best. I was just honored with a lovely plaque.”

August 2025 

“I started out my career in the telephone company as a switchboard operator. I had where dresses to work! I didn’t stay that long, however, and soon moved into the engineering department. I loved that work!”

“I went to work for Portland Schools so I could be home with my three boys. I started as a temp in food services and eventually rose to direct the District’s Central Kitchen!”

“I think everybody at The Park Danforth helps one another, takes care of one another. There are people you sit with at dinner. Others you hang out with. Everyone is very friendly and supportive.”

“My philosophy is to keep busy and always socialize with others. I have a group of friends I go out with every Thursday at noon.”

“I met Kenny Rogers in the back hallway of the Civic Center. My first husband was a stagehand, and I was there helping in wardrobe. I pressed Kenny Rogers’ pants! As I was leaving, Kenny came in and we spoke. He was very pleasant.”

August 2025

“My husband, Bill, brought us to The Park Danforth. He was an amazing partner – my second husband – and I couldn’t be more blessed. He was a wonderful stepfather to my three children. I miss him.”

“I’m a retired physical therapist of 40 years. It was a wonderful career. I went from pediatrics to geriatrics, and everything between.”

“My daughter, Samantha, died at 18. I wrote a book remembering her. She was wonderful, a self-actualized person. She lived a very full life.”

“My other daughter and son are amazing. Both have run marathons. I have two wonderful granddaughters. What keeps me afloat through time are dance, granddaughters, and my family.”

“I did aerobic dancing for many, many years. Now I do yoga and meditation every day.”

“I am a survivor, and I’ve thrived at many times in my life. I like to keep moving!”

August 2025

“I won an appointment to the Air Force Academy as a young man, but I didn’t feel comfortable with it. I was in the first class to enroll, and they weren’t ready for us. I joined the Army Reserves instead.”

“My career was in education. After finishing my basic training, I went to the University of Vermont and completed my MA degree in political science. I’ve been in many academic roles, including with the Maine Department of Education doing teacher education and organizing programs.”

“I knew my late wife, Marilyn, from childhood. We moved across the street from Marilyn’s family when I was 6 years old. I took her to the Senior Prom at Greenfield HS. She was very steady, positive, and a great homemaker. She was a home economics teacher eventually too.”

“I hope to work at The Park Danforth to get more people interested in the arts. I helped create an arts space on the 4th floor. Art is a great way to interact and share with others. My medium as an artist is oil.”

August 2025

“I’m from Mount Vernon, Maine, and that’s why I am bi-lingual.”

“I was a park ranger. I loved it. I used to work on trails – my favorite part. I never met a bear in my work but saw them in the White Mountains. I worked at Cape Cod National Seashore and then with the Army Corps of Engineers.”

“I won the Take Pride in America Award and got to meet Clint Eastwood and Louis Gossett Jr.! They were so nice, humble. They said it was my day. It made me feel so good!”

“I love all of it at The Park Danforth. I can’t say enough about it. I am so happy I’m here. I made a lot of friends here.”

“My philosophy is to BE HAPPY. Keep positive.”

August 2025 

“I served in the army. I didn’t go to Korea, but I went to Europe, so it was better – nice – in Germany.”

“The first time I camped was in the army, and I got hooked. I did all kinds of camping in my lifetime. I did all kinds of stuff in my 30s, 40s, and 50s. I was an amateur athlete. I mostly liked getting out in the woods, especially hiking. Now, walking is my thing. I love to walk as much as I can.”

“I have good physical health for 92, but certain words are harder for me to say. A stroke strung me up. I can think of most things to say, but I am slow. Numbers are tough. I am lucky because I have my physical health.”

“I do a lot of painting as an amateur. I like painting trees. I can’t sell these, as nobody would buy them. I share them with friends. It keeps my brain going.”

“I have a woman friend. She takes me from here every week, and we go around to different things. We travel around Maine together. Hiking with Joan is fun!”

August 2025