Written by Karen Lyddane
June Cotter is the very image of a soul who has successfully negotiated Life’s twists and turns. June is honest, straightforward and guaranteed to give you an honest answer. Often, it is delivered with a twinkle in her eye and twitch to a corner of her lip. From June’s birthplace in Montreal, Canada, to her home at The Gardens in Fairfax, Virginia, this lady offers sage, learned advice about the assisted living lifestyle.
Before going there, let’s begin at the beginning. June and her brother were the children of a man who worked for Customs, checking baggage on trains. Their mother and his wife left the earth when June was only two years old. Her brother went into a boarding house and she eventually joined him. Life was challenging in Montreal as there were no buses or cafeteria but there was a lot of harsh weather!
Moving to Vermont for June meant being in the right place at the right time. A career move for Jim Cotter also sent him into the right place to meet and eventually wed June. His skills as a cryptologist pulled him away from South Korea and back to the United States, into CIA service. Jim Cotter’s best friend Dick Wells and June’s best friend Lynn Greenia “fixed them up.” After a bit of dating drama involving a pretty nurse and June’s honesty about breaking dates at the last minute, they wed. Jim was Catholic, June was Methodist. Her faith was converted into Catholicism, and she is faithful to this day, either with the Catholic faith activities on the premises, or in the comfort of her apartment, with a special electronic device.
June and Jim were together for 59 years. They brought two sons and two daughters into the world- Kevin, Janice, Bill, and Patty/Trish. June said Jim “was tall, dark and handsome, and a really funny man.” One time, Jim volunteered to coach the girls’ softball team. Although she was no seamstress, June remembers making felt cheerleader uniforms for many of the girls in their neighborhood, in gold and bright blue, then black with white pleats. The white was behind the black pleats.
Their children were the driving force in leading June and Jim to leave their ranch home in Vienna to live an independent lifestyle at The Woodlands Retirement Community. Their ranch home had stairs going to the basement, where the laundry room was located. Added to this concern was their bathtub. They made some improvements, but they just weren’t enough. Still, concern grew.
Jim and June lived this new lifestyle together for three years, until Jim’s passing. June resided in her lovely apartment for seven more years, then her own medical needs made a lifestyle decision. She moved next door to the sister community, The Gardens at Fair Oaks Assisted Living.
On the day of our interview, June was enjoying the lunch of Corned Beef & Cabbage (yes, it was St. Patrick’s Day) at a sunny table with her friends, also former residents of The Woodlands. June pronounced the Irish Soda Bread “just fine.” In all, she really likes the menus and has a great fondness for one of the staff members. Her apartment is well thought-out, and the view shows shaggy Birch trees amongst the chicken coop. She has new friends, mostly through the daily Bingo game time.
What was the hardest challenge in moving to The Gardens?
June found it quite hard to give up much of her furniture and memorabilia. The most concerning was where her things went – coming from a humble background added to the emotion. She mentioned the loss of her pots and pans, but a desk filled with items stayed in the family, and this settled her mind.
What is June’s advice about Assisted Living?
“You might not like it at first, but you do get used to it, and it is good.” June gave this honest perspective with her trademark twinkle in her eye and twitch to a corner of her lip. This 93-year-old, known as June Cotter, inspires with her youthful spirit that matches her looks (I guessed that she was in her middle 80s), helping those around her adapt to their own twists and turns in Life.
