Amy grew up in a small town in Vermont and went to college to be "different" and get away from the small world of her youth, although she is once again living -- and enjoying -- life in a small community. She moved to Missouri five years ago, from Massachusetts. Amy is 78 years old. Divorced in 1973, Amy has two daughters, three grandchildren, and a great-grandson. One of her daughters lives in a small town in north central Missouri; the other lives in Maine. Amy had decided that she wanted to live near one daughter or the other when she retired, rather than having to travel long distances to see both of them. The heartland won, as she had made several visits to the Midwest and was very impressed with its friendliness and more casual lifestyle -- plus the fact that the cost of living was much cheaper in Missouri than on the East Coast.

A former teacher, Amy has taught kindergarten, elementary and high school over the years. She retired in 1984. She volunteers for RSVP, and says, "It was life saver for getting me involved in a new community." In June, 1999, Amy was presented the "Gift of Time" award at RSVP's 26th Annual Recognition Banquet in her "adopted" hometown. She also volunteers for Life Check (telephone monitoring of frail elderly persons) and once saved an elderly woman's life by detecting "something funny" in the woman's voice. Amy alerted the local police. An ambulance was called, and sure enough, the woman had had a stroke. The local blood mobile and diabetes clinic are also benefactors of Amy's volunteer service. She volunteered at a nursing home for awhile, but says, "I just kept getting too deeply involved with the patients." She has just started volunteering 2 days a week at the library, and is very comfortable with the consistent routine. She also volunteers her time to help elderly persons with taxes and in filling out insurance forms.

Amy attributes a lot of her interest in caring for the elderly to the fact that she had a wonderful relationship with her own grandmother. When asked what she enjoys for herself, Amy quoted Henry David Thoreau: "I'd like to live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man."

Because her days are so varied, Amy said she could not describe a "typical" day. She has a new computer and sends email to her grandchildren in Maine. She is having a lot of fun exploring its capabilities. She jokingly adds "Every now and then I discover something new and I haven't the faintest idea of how I found it."

The freedom of small town life and the friendliness of the people hold a lot of appeal for Amy. She became a homeowner for the first time when she moved to Missouri, and she enjoys taking care of her house and planting flowers. Amy describes her health as "pretty good." When asked how she felt about her life thus far, Amy replied, "Everybody thinks they could have done some things better.". Overall, she is satisfied with her life and believes that you should "bloom where you are planted."

In response to being asked for her secret to successful aging, Amy replied, "I believe that I have always needed to be needed." She has discovered that it is most satisfying to find those who really need help, and help them. She likes a regular commitment to volunteering -- a schedule. "I have no interest in filling my days with crocheting, but I do believe that those types of activities are wonderful for people who are not able to do other things." Amy's advice to others who would age successfully: "Maintain a loving relationship with your children, but keep your nose out of their business!"