My name is Lucille Martin

I am 81 years young. I live in Fredonia, NY, with four housemates in a home operated by The Resource Center. I was born in Cassadaga, NY, and like to reminisce about the good old days.

I recently retired from my job at the New York State Thruway, where I worked for 17 years. I worked three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My job coach, “Summer” (that’s what I call him), picked me up along with my work team and took us to the local tollbooths so we could provide janitorial services. My team member Roy worked with me. He is one of my best friends, so I have lots of pictures of us together.

I also participate in the Chautauqua Adult Day Care program. I have lots of friends there. We like to dance and play games. They feed us very nice lunches and take us places. I especially like when the young interns come do their volunteer work, because I have lots of fun with them. I’m very popular everywhere I go. Lots of people know me from years ago.

I used to visit my sister, Ella, and my cousin Till a lot. They both passed away recently. I miss them a lot and sometimes get grumpy about it. I often get jealous when my peers get to go home and I can’t. Sometimes it is hard for me to express my feelings.

Sometimes my cousin Danny takes me to his house for dinner. I like to call my family members on the phone a lot, too. I tend to get upset when they don’t answer, so I like to keep calling them more than what I should. Staff at my home sometimes has to remind me to be patient because I get so focused on the phone calls.

I enjoy cooking and am very good at it with help from staff. I love to eat cheese, and sometimes I sneak slices out of the fridge when my staff isn’t looking. They find out later because they find my cheese wrappers hidden around the house. I also like to cook my own breakfast with Egg Beaters. I make them all by myself. I also remind my staff several times throughout the week to make sure Egg Beaters are on the grocery list along with other favorite food items.

Lucille Martin at her 80th birthday party.

My all-time favorite snack is a peanut butter, onion, cheese, and mustard sandwich. I know it sounds gross, but it is an acquired taste that you would have to appreciate.

I am a big fan of coffee. I can use the coffee maker by myself. I like to always have coffee made. And even though I drink one to two cups in the morning, I will always tell you I’m only having a little bit. I also have coffee after dinner and for my evening snack. By the way, I drink decaf. Sometimes my housemates have some of the coffee I make, or staff makes their own coffee in the same maker. I don’t like to share when it comes to coffee.

I also get my hair done every Saturday at Vacanti’s in Fredonia. I have been going there for years. The hairdressers all know me, and they give me coffee too.

Lucille at a fashion show put on by her home.

I probably shouldn’t brag, but I made a lot of money at my job on the Thruway. This was good, though, because I love to shop. Especially for big handbags and purses. I like to knit, crochet, and work on plastic canvas. I am a very talented artist when it comes to shading. I also like to play with my cards and work on my letters and numbers. I can count pretty well and have a decent sense of money.

I love to shop, and my staff helps me to not waste money on things that are not necessary. I carry $10 with me at a time. But whenever I need something that costs more, my staff Heather (Fedder, I like to call her) gives me more money from my account and I can buy whatever it is I need.

Sometimes these things don’t fit in my room or my closet, so I spend a lot of time trying to organize my closet. I usually do this on Saturday mornings with Pat. Pat has been my staff for many years, and I am very close to her. She understands me and is very patient with me. My Saturday morning staff also helps me move my furniture around in my room. Because if they don’t help me I will try to do it myself, and they don’t want me to get hurt. We do this a lot because I like to make my room look pretty.

As you can see, I am a very busy person. My daily schedule is pretty full. I can get kind of cranky when my routine gets changed. I really don’t like to be late for anything, and I love to go to social events.
I am a late bird and like to stay up late. I usually wait till third shift comes in, and then I retire for the evening. Sometimes when third shift is busy doing their job, I like to wake up and vacuum my room or reorganize my things.

Staff at my home helps me with my medicine. I remind staff when it is time to take my medicine. I also can tell staff when I am not feeling good, or if I need some type of medication for a headache or a cold. I bruise easily and get bumped a lot at work, so my staff has to keep an eye on me for bruises.

All in all I am very fun to be around. Humor works really well with me because I like to laugh. I love to get attention from anyone; I am definitely a people person.

Lucille is honored at her retirement party.