by Kathleen Spring
Her life-long goal was to help people, and that is what Marie McCreery accomplished in her career. She has worked with low-income people and seniors, almost exclusively in Lyons, since 1972. On Tuesday, March 2, locals will have a chance to stop by the Walt Self Senior Center between 12:30 and 2 p.m. during an Open House, to say a few words of thanks and send Marie off to a happy retirement.“I would like to tell the public that this is the most important job I’ve had in my whole career,” said Marie. “I really love being in Lyons and being able to serve the community.”
Marie started out her educational pursuits by getting a masters degree in anthropology. She tried her hand at pottery and painting at that time, and continued to dabble in the arts over the years. As part of her retirement plan, she has opened a public art studio on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Walt Self Center lower level to retired seniors who would like to have a place to paint and talk.
As a young woman, Marie decided to go back to college to get a second degree in Sociology, to better align herself with her preferred goal of working with people in need. She had started her first job in Lyons for the Boulder County Community Service department in the Community Action Program. Aging Services was under that umbrella.
A storefront on Main Street, Lyons, was her office for six years. She worked part time and many of her clients were walk-ins or heard about her from the newspaper. She also went out and knocked on doors and got to know the people in town.
“Some of the people I work with now remember me working with their parents back then,” said Marie. “I learned a lot about working with the Hispanic families and the seniors during that time, what their interests and needs were, and the culture of Lyons.”
After working at a few others jobs, Marie came back to Lyons. It had always been her dream to work in a small town.
“I was growing a career, and I left, but when I felt I had a choice, and I had learned enough elsewhere, I came back, and I was extremely happy,” said Marie.
When she returned to Lyons, she set up an office in the senior housing center of Bloomfield Place. She also worked out of her home a lot because of the need for privacy in dealing with clients. She worked part time in Lyons and for three years added Niwot to her jurisdiction. When the Walt Self Senior Housing opened up its new center in 2006, she moved her office there, and continued to work part time.
“The people I met in the ‘70s have been aging in place,” said Marie. “They might have been 30 when I met them, and now they are 60 or 70. We both have a long history here. The Boomers are now starting to be eligible for my assistance. but they have different attitudes likes and dislikes than the older people. For one thing, Boulder County is doing a lot of computerizing of their records.”
She draws a lot of her clients from the Lyons Golden Gang, those who live at the Walt Self Center, through word of mouth, and from bulletins at town hall or the sheriff’s office. She sees about 15 people each week. Marie’s official drop-in hours are on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon.
“The County and people work together extremely well, and pretty much every need of every person that has come through my door, I have been able to get help some how,” said Marie. She recently helped a senior who was having her house foreclosed on and another low-income senior who needed dentures.
Lisa Rose will be taking over her job when she leaves and will have office hours from 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays. In March Heidi Marchi will be available to assist her. They will increase the outreach efforts of the department. Lyons residents’ records have been computerized and that list will be used to keep in touch with people who have asked for help. For example, people who asked for help in deciding their Medicare program will be contacted next year during the open sign-up period to see if they need help again.
The public is invited to come to the Open House to say farewell to Marie and hello to the two new Aging Resource Consultants. There will be snacks and some casual speaking. It is sponsored by Boulder County Aging Services and the Lyons Golden Gang.
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