'Everyone calls on Peggy'

"Everyone calls on Peggy -- and sometimes, it's hard to get her, because she's so active!" declared Eleanor Neveleff from her seat on the couch.

Seated next to her in her apartment at the Avila Retirement Community in Albany was the embarrassed subject of her teasing: Peggy Dillon, a fellow resident known for her generous volunteer work.

A few months ago, Mrs. Dillon won a "senior lifetime achievement award" from the Capital District Senior Issues Forum. The awards are given to seniors age 85 and older who have contributed to their communities.

"It's very rewarding to help other people. I'm grateful I can be of service," remarked the active honoree, who is 90.

At your service

Service has been a byword for Mrs. Dillon for decades. A native of Troy, she spent many years ministering at St. Mary's parish, where she'd been raised, as a lector and visitor to hospital patients.

She also taught religious education to third-graders and worked at a soup kitchen.

Her work was a counterpoint to that of her husband, Joseph, who was a permanent deacon assigned to service ministry at the parish. When he became ill, they moved to Teresian House Nursing Home in Albany.

Moving on

After his death in 2000, Mrs. Dillon wasn't sure where to go. She'd seen many assisted-living facilities where friends lived but hadn't found one that seemed right for her.

Then she toured Avila, an independent-living complex next door to Teresian House. She moved in -- and immediately began helping out other residents.

"We're supposed to be completely independent when we come here, but I help wherever I can," she explained.

For example, when a neighbor in a nearby apartment went into the hospital, Mrs. Dillon saw that the woman's husband was "completely lost without her," so she began bringing him down to the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch.

Togetherness

At meals, Mrs. Dillon met Ms. Neveleff, who is legally blind, and the two became friends. The latter complained that she couldn't read Avila's daily calendar of events, so Mrs. Dillon started stopping by to read it to her.

Together, the pair chose activities to attend: musicals like the annual "Melodies of Christmas," lectures on the Adirondacks and "Sit to be Fit" exercise classes.

On good days, they take walks outdoors or cross over to Teresian House's chapel for Mass.

Gameswoman

Mrs. Dillon has also become a frequent volunteer at Teresian House, where she started playing bridge with two residents (who reached ages 100 and 99 respectively), then was recruited to play Scrabble with another.

The volunteer noted that she isn't very good at Scrabble, "but I enjoy it."

Helping "brings something out of yourself; it makes you feel like you're doing something. And it isn't only giving; it's receiving, as well. It's made me more conscious of people and what they need."

Ms. Neveleff told The Evangelist that, without her friend's encouragement, she'd probably spend too much time sleeping in her apartment or drinking coffee.

"Anything is helpful to me, because I have no sight," she explained, noting that she likes "anything to get out of our little cubbyholes!"

Like-minded

Mrs. Dillon is quick to deflect compliments, pointing out that she's far from the only volunteer at Avila. In fact, she listed several of her acquaintance:

* Eleanor Allard "drives people to the airport and shopping; she goes over to a nursing home and visits someone who used to be a resident here;" while

* Gloriana Clark "is very good at taking people where they need to go, and if somebody needs help in the dining room, she's right there to help them."

Ms. Neveleff, however, wouldn't let her friend off the hook so easily. Mrs. Dillon, she said firmly, "is a marvelous individual. She does everything in her power to take care of people -- and not just one individual. I'm just one of the gang."

(Mrs. Dillon is a graduate of Catholic Central High School in Troy, The College of Saint Rose in Albany, and a comptometers' school where she learned to use adding machines and the like. She worked at Montgomery Ward and Cluett Peabody, then at the New York State Department of Education for 25 years.)

(04/03/08) [[In-content Ad]]