Last Updated on June 10, 2026
I’d like to begin with an official welcome from the Resi-dents’ Council and the Residents’ Association to Laura Rye, our new Associate Executive Director, who has been with us since mid-April. Laura brings with her an extensive background and deep experience. Most recently, she served as Associate Executive Director at Riderwood. Laura has moved into her time with us seamlessly, and we are most fortunate to have her here. If you haven’t already, be sure to give Laura a warm, Charlestown welcome when you see her.
Many thanks to all who commented positively about memories of my mom. Since Father’s Day is in June, it feels appropriate to bring out some memories of my dad as well. He had a presence about him that always made me feel secure and loved. He was the person you wanted to be with in an emergency. He, like my mom, had a deep core of faith. My grandmother wanted him to enter the seminary after high school, but he’d met my mom a long time before at a church social. (He had even written in her eighth-grade graduation autograph book!) They married when they were 19; their birthdays were just a week apart. They were always a loving team. I never heard them raise their voices to each other, and he never raised his voice to us either. He just had to give a look and whatever had been happening was finished. They were married for more than fifty years at my dad’s death at 71. Mom lived until she was 98.
Dad was an active member of our church, Our Lady of the Assumption. He was also a member of our volunteer fire department. Since he worked the three to twelve shift at Northrop Grumman making wings for the fighter planes, he was available for daytime emergencies. One of the years he was Fire Chief, he picked me up from school in the Chief’s car, a very rare occasion. A call of a fire came in at Zahn’s airport, a small airfield in the next town. There was no time to drop me off, so I got to ride to the fire (sirens and all). Naturally, I had to stay in the car, but seeing my father go off in full gear to direct the men was obviously a memory that has stayed with me. Through his varied volunteer activities, he really showed me the value of service to others. Unfortunately, my dad died too soon of colon cancer in January