Our 50th Anniversary 12/28/19 -Mike

Mike 50^th

       Perspectives- Stories and Comments from Mike  

Part 1

 Cyndy and I  had known each other from Church, I was even  an altar boy for her Grand parents’ / Marion and Joe’s 50^th wedding anniversary mass-  

We had some mutual neighborhood friends

There would be informal group meet ups , and hang outs (not hook-ups) all  very innocent “folk song sing a long “  home  parties –really no drinking ,”hanky Panky” etc. (That came later…)

 Our first date was 7/12/66 Boston Pops Esplanade concert  along with my Mom and Dad Jaye and Pat, Mary, maybe Bernie  …and that was the beginning…

I’d row down in my little boat from Peterson Road and pick Cyndy up at the Shoreside beach- we’d row around the Bay, talk, laugh and smooch – One time Lois was waiting for Cyndy to come in to take care of Robbie so she could go to her waitress job. We had been clowning around in the boat and it capsized – Cyndy had street clothes on and got soaked, we righted the boat and baled it out and   had to row around until her hair and clothes dried, so we were late coming in. Mrs. Roche /Lois greeted us with “You 2 always go overboard!”  and she was right. And in some ways we have always tended to go overboard.

Mr. Roche/Bob would say with a little worry  during our first summer – “You 2 are together morning, noon and night“ -and we were , and have mostly always been and still are.

*The Lunar Landing and Woodstock were in the summer of ’69. We did not get to either one  …but much more important for us was our wedding 12/28/69.

   3 days after Christmas-what a Christmas surprise for our parents –  The “have a blast at the repast” reception invite we had thought was funny, but Cyndy’s  parents asked “What would Aunt Bertha think? “Actually we thought she’d be OK with it as she and Slicky along with Marion and Joe had roared around on their  motorcycles with sidecars in the early 1920’s.  We changed that part then  and included it this time.

You may remember our wedding was at the student chapel at Boston College with about 200 family and friends looking on …many maybe with the words of the Chuck Berry song in their minds – “It Was a Teenage Wedding “ ….

It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell

Fr. Gene Boyle- who not too long before took us on CYO ski trips, officiated -  He was 15 minutes late…Cyndy in her wedding gown from Bev had to go to bathroom in boy’s dorm …. turns out Fr. Boyle had run out of gas on the way and had to run up Chesnut Hill to get to the chapel…during his homily he started to laugh, he had quite the giggle (maybe he was high) and we were afraid he would not stop …  Nancy  , and I played guitar, Cyndy and I sang ….10 bridesmaids and 10 ushers = our wedding photo looked like a small high school  prom picture .

Night of our honeymoon at the Copley Plaza about 10 of our pals joined us for pizza in the Bridal Suite . My folks offered to send us to Disney World – but we declined and instead, borrowing a car from generous and sympathetic Aunt Niddy and Uncle Jimmy  and we drove to Hyannis and spent 3 days at the Harvest House Motel – ventured to Johnny Yee’s Oriental Restaurant and Night Club (we had a coupon)  …then the next 4 days we celebrated  with many of our friends at Bev Roper’s Dad’s summer  house in Plymouth…

And from there it’s been an amazing 50 years of us, Joe, achievements, adventures, family and friends – And now we are the “old folks”

 C’est la vie…. what a wonderful life!

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        Part 2                                              A tribute to Cyndy -

I wrote this about 25 years ago and it’s proved so true-

My nomination for recognition as Nurse Practitioner of this year (and every year ) is Cynthia Roche-Cotter, RN, FNP.  Cynthia’s commitment to professional growth and excellence in patient care is truly extra-ordinary and exemplary.  As a young wife and mother, and while working part-time as a “store nurse” at a landmark Boston department store Filene’s Basement, she completed her Associate Degree/RN training.  Upon graduation she chose to practice on extremely challenging neurology units at Boston City Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital.  During a year of cross-country travel with her husband and son she worked at San Francisco General’s Trauma Unit and also agency private duty.  Upon returning home to Quincy,MA, Cynthia became the first RN and a “Founding Mother” of Manet Community Health Center, largely responsible for the establishment and growth of its model family-community health practice.  Over the next thirteen years she served as the first director of nursing, became the Center’s first Nurse Practitioner (graduating from Northeastern University with Brenda ) and earned her BSN from the University of New York Regent’s Program  .-also with Brenda   All the while she has been a constant advocate-provider for the health needs and rights of women, children, seniors, minorities, the disadvantaged and people with HIV/AIDS.  She has reached into the community, local government and schools as HIV/AIDS resource person and sexuality educator.  For her beloved and loving co-workers she has been the un-offcial, always sought after “resident health expert and counselor.”

Cyndy can best be characterized as a “human being extraordinaire ”  with an amazing genius and gift for living.  A sense of balance between service to others and self-fulfillment in personal relationships with family and friends, and myriad creative interests. 

Now Cyndy has been a nurse for 44 years, 38 of them as NP. Those years are filled with literally thousands of encounters in which she has profoundly helped individuals and families to heal their particular hurts- always with respect, dignity,  ”common-sensitivity”, humility, humor and love –from struggling immigrant families to traumatized “adult children”, to the 97 year old whom she matched with an African student so the exceptional elder could continue to live in her own home.

 Cyndy inspired me to enter nursing  28 years ago and to imitate her example.  She will always be my respected and beloved partner and “Sheroe”.

And she still laughs at my antics and jokes…