February Events You’ll Fall in Love With
Fuller Village Wants to Add Some Excitement to Your February
Join the conversation with a New York Times best-selling author, a Curry College Professor, and a resident storyteller—then, join us on the dance floor for an exciting lineup of musical talent and don’t miss a screening of an important and poignant documentary. From thought-provoking to toe-tapping, there’s something for everyone at Fuller Village this February.
January Senior Living Events You Won’t Want to Miss at Fuller Village
From lectures on musical maestros, Greek history, and health to musical events ranging from piano concerts to our first Pub Night of the new year, Fuller Village invites you to experience firsthand what makes living here a fuller life for our residents.
Pianist Frederick Moyer
Sunday, January 7th – 7:00 PM – Brush Hill Function Room
Frederick Moyer is one of the most exciting pianists before the public today. Equally at home with Bach, Rachmaninoff, Schoenberg as well as Ellington and Peterson, his recitals are creative, engaging and entertaining and generally include time honored favorites as well as pieces that audiences may be hearing for the first time. He has performed in 44 countries and in such far-flung venues as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Sydney Opera House, Windsor Castle, Carnegie Recital Hall, Tanglewood, and the Kennedy Center.
This performance is co-sponsored by the Fuller Village Residents’ Association.
Join Rich Travers for
All Aboard: The Conductor
Tuesday, January 9th – 2:00 PM – Brush Hill Function Room
What are the responsibilities of a ‘Maestro’? What do all those conducting motions signify? Music examples of composers and the famous conductors (and egos) from all periods will be listened to, analyzed, and discussed.
Historian Paolo DiGregorio presents:
The Origins of Ancient Greece:
The Aegean World in the Bronze Age
Wednesday, January 10th – 7:00 PM – Blue Hill Activity Room
Often, when we think of Ancient Greece, we picture the architectural splendor of the Parthenon or the intellectual curiosity of Plato and Aristotle. Yet the history of Greece begins thousands of years before the Golden Age. The story of the development of Greek culture involves war, peace, prosperity, and destruction, and is one of the foundations of the West.
Steps in the Treatment of Low Back Pain
Thursday, January 11th – 2:00 PM – Blue Hill Activity Room
The Spine Program at BID Milton offers leading-edge surgical care as well as pain management therapies to treat a full range of spine disorders, including spinal deformities and injuries, spinal stenosis, herniated discs and spinal tumors. Join Dr. Papavassiliou from BID Milton and BIDMC to learn how to better manage lower back pain.
Efstathios Papavassiliou, MD
BIDMC Neurosurgery
Co-Director:The spine center at BIDMC
Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School
Maria Judge’s Storytelling
The Five-Year Honeymoon
Tuesday, January 16th – 3:00 PM – Blue Hill Activity Room
Part of an ongoing series with our partners at Beth Israel Deaconess Milton.
One week after their wedding, Jerome and Eleanor Judge moved to Ireland to study at University College, Dublin under the GI Bill. They expect to spend one year away but instead stay for 5 years, during which they travel around Ireland and Germany, work for Catholic Relief Services, have three children, perform on stage with Carroll O’Connor and eventually get a PhD.
Fuller Village resident Maria Judge presents more stories of her family’s early years and travels around the world.
Join Us for Pub Night With the Dwayne Haggins Trio
Thursday, January 18th – 6:30 PM – Brush Hill Function Room
(Doors and bar open at 6:30; music starts at 7:00)
Dwayne and his friend Ahren have been entertaining Fuller Village residents for years in their duo version. Now come and enjoy them play an eclectic mix of rock, blues, funk and soul as a trio! They will play anything to get you up and off your feet! Dwayne’s silky voice and showmanship make him a standout performer and we are excited to welcome him and his bandmates to their first Pub Night!
Complementary appetizers will be served and we will have a full bar available (cash bar for guests, residents’ drinks will be billed to their account).
Author Talk: Kevin P. Martin, Jr.
All is Well: Life Lessons from a Preacher’s Father
Monday, January 22nd – 2:00 PM – Brush Hill Function Room
A memoir of a parent’s sudden passing from ALS, recalling life lessons learned, and regaining faith in the process.
Kevin P. Martin, Sr. was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, better known as ALS, in August 2019. He died only a month later. Over a thousand people would attend the wake and funeral in South Boston — after all, Kevin Sr. was a leader in the Southie community and in the Catholic Church, both as a business owner and family man. But Kevin Jr. struggled with a bottomless grief; neither his father’s example nor his own faith as a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston fully equipped him to cope with the loss.
All Is Well is the story of the good life well-lived and life lessons Kevin Sr. taught his son. It’s a story of how Kevin Jr. moved from darkness to light after his father’s death. It is a memoir that gives a roadmap out of grief, taking a path whose landmarks are the Beatitudes, family, miracles, baseball, rites of passage, bucket lists, and love; it offers insights into leadership, marriage, parenting, resilience, practicality, suffering, giving, forgiveness, joy, and savoring the little things.
100% of this book’s profits will go to ALS research, care charities, and support organizations. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
Welch Appointed Executive Director of Fuller Village
Chris Heavey, chairman of the board of directors of Milton Fuller Housing Corporation, has announced the appointment of Molly Welch as the new executive director of Fuller Village.
She succeeds Deborah Felton, who served as executive director of the non-profit community since 2007.
For more than 20 years, Welch has been working with seniors and their families, striving to provide them with the best accommodations, services, and programming possible.
Her career in the senior care industry has encompassed skilled nursing homes, an assisted and independent living community, hospice agencies, and home care staffing.
Since 2003, Welch has worked with Sheehan Health Group, most recently serving in leadership positions as regional director of admissions and marketing and as an operations consultant.
“We are delighted to have someone with Molly’s depth of leadership experience in senior housing taking over for Deborah, whose positive impact on the growth and enrichment of Fuller Village during the past 16 years has been instrumental in creating a reputation for Fuller Village as one of the most highly respected senior communities in eastern Massachusetts,” Heavey said.
Welch’s appointment concluded an extensive search for Felton’s successor.
“The vision and culture of Fuller Village are consistent with the beliefs I have always held that pro-
viding a living environment where seniors can enjoy the fullest life possible is paramount,” Welch commented. “Offering a lifestyle where our resi- dents can participate in the many activities and programs at Fuller Village is important, not just for the residents themselves, but also for their family members who know their loved ones are living in an active community that is engaging and caring.”
Prior to entering the senior care industry, Welch earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in health policy and management from Providence College.
She resides on the South Shore with her husband and two daughters.
Pandemic Pushes Hiker to New Peaks
By Elaine Cushman Carroll Milton Times staff
Milton resident Jennifer DeLeonardis knew she’d turned a corner when she printed out the official list of the New England 67 as COVID-19 was settling in.
While she has never been a list keeper, she admits she enjoyed checking off each of the 67 mountain peaks in New England that are over 4,000 feet tall that she had already climbed.
Then she set her sights on the remaining ones.
This fall, DeLeonardis said she has just one more to go: Mount Mansfield in Vermont.
She explained when she realized she had turned a corner.
“I’ve never been a list keeper but all of a sudden I’m looking at the list,” she said.
DeLeonardis is planning a trip with her life partner Robert Reenan in October to achieve the goal.
“It was a great way to spend COVID,” DeLeonardis said in a recent interview in a courtyard at Fuller Village where she works as director of aquatics and fitness.
DeLeonardis, who was once an owner of the former West Newton restaurant, Lumiere, said she did her first hikes when her son was four years old and she had a sense that it would be good for him as a person to connect with the outdoors.
That was 14 years ago and Christopher is now a senior at Milton High School.
They enjoyed the “gorgeous but small mountains”
See DeLEONARDIS Page 10
Milton resident Jennifer DeLeonardis
DeLEONARDIS from Page 1
of Acadia National Park.
Christopher now sets too brisk a pace to hike with her, but they still sometimes tackle a mountain at the same time.
In 2015, DeLeonardis got a little more serious with a group of friends who took on a section of nine peaks in the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire.
Despite being gung-ho about the experience, life, jobs, and everyday things sidelined the best of plans.
During the COVID-19 restrictions, mountains were open, DeLeonardis said, adding that Reenan was also an inspiration.
“He keeps saying you could have done it without me,” she said, shaking her head no.
According to DeLeonardis, it was the natural beauty of the mountains that initially drew her in. She said what takes her breath away are vistas where contrasts exist, such as where a mountain peak meets a body of water or a valley of fir trees.
“When you see that contrast, you’re kind of blown away,”DeLeonardis said.
She loves the whole experience of hiking. including the times when you have to challenge your mind and your body just to take that next step.
“It’s frequently peaceful. It’s a way to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle. You know you’re not going to be able to answer your cell phone,” DeLeonardis said. She also likes the sense of community of hikers, although the recent increased usage of the trails has led to dirtier trails.
DeLeonardis said the pandemic also helped her get more active about sharing her passion with the residents of Fuller Village, an over 62 community.
She went to Fuller after she left the restaurant and had become a personal trainer.
DeLeonardis said she lucked into the job after agreeing to fill in for a person who went out on maternity leave a little over five years ago. The person didn’t return, and she was given the job permanently.
DeLeonardis said that in her job, she is often asked to recommend an exercise for someone.
“I tell them that the best exercise is the one you’re going to keep doing because you love it. That’s usually the best for you,” she said.
When a resident asks why he or she is not losing weight despite working out, DeLeonardis, who said she loves to eat cookies on the trail, said the truth is that it’s difficult “to out-exercise your fork.”
DeLeonardis said that during the pandemic, she was able to offer more outdoor experiences for Fuller Village residents including snowshoeing and hiking nearby at the Blue Hills.
“It was nice to transfer something I love to the residents,” she said. “It’s not for everybody.”
DeLeonardis said winter hiking is becoming her favorite since it bypasses two things she doesn’t enjoy: bugs and hot weather.
“The scenery is so different. It’s stunning,” she said.
DeLeonardis is drawn in by sights like frozen fog and sun shining on snow-covered trees as well as by the deep silence.
She said Mount Jefferson is one of her favorites in the winter, particularly an area that is like an open saddle in the mountain, where “it felt like you were crossing the moon.”
“Talk about quiet. It’s remarkably quiet,” she said.
DeLeonardis believes that while hiking, it is particularly important to find a pace that you can sustain and abide by the rule of hiking that the slowest person with you sets the pace.
She is currently hiking with a friend who is 71 and wants to hike the New Hampshire 48 again as a person over the age of 70 despite having knee and back problems.
DeLeonardis recommends that people who have never hiked before simply get a pair of good, sturdy shoes and “just go out and start walking. The more you do it, the better you’re going to get at it.”
“We’re lucky here that we have the Blue Hills,” she continued, adding that there are checklists of smart hiking protocols that people should follow for basic safety.
Those include always going with someone in case something should happen and bringing water, sunscreen, and bug spray.
She said winter hiking requires more planning and a day pack with supplies, a compass, a map, food, multiple layers of clothing, snow shoes, crampons, an ice axe, insulated hiking boots, and wool socks.
DeLeonardis said she found out first hand that hiking in snow can also result in a sunburn on the roof of your mouth so a neck gaiter is a must.
“Don’t rely on your phone for anything,” she said. “You really have to track the weather and be smart about your decisions.”
She recalled that she and Reenan, whose most recent goal is to climb the Northeast 111, which includes New York peaks, in the winter, had to turn around three times at the trailhead to a mountain on his list because of the weather.
“It would have been at some significant level of risk,” DeLeonardis said. “The mountains are not going anywhere.”
She said her favorite hiking quote is “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”
DeLeonardis said she has no interest in heading to a mountain like Everest and maybe some higher peaks in Colorado.
“I plan to go back to the ones here that I fell in love with,” she said, adding, though, that she has no plans to print out the list again.
Jennifer DeLeonardis at the summit of Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire, one of the 66 mountain peaks she has climbed in New England. (Photo submitted by DeLeonardis)