Setting an Example for Every Age
Married for 60 years, Mary Lou and Stewart are lifelong residents of Norfolk, and have been coming to the Y for over 20 years.
Both graduated from Maury, where they were high school sweethearts.
Stewart’s first introduction to the Y was as a latchkey kid during WWII. The Y was a safe place to go after school to play with friends, socialize and stay out of trouble.
Years later, Mary Lou worked as a CPA down the street from the Y, and started attending when her coworkers encouraged her to try the group exercise classes and fitness equipment.
Today, this fun-loving retired couple comes to the Y five days a week to get in cardio workouts, strength train, and enjoy the community both inside and outside of the Y. They know the staff and many people at the Y by name, and make it a point to visit with and check on their fellow members’ health and wellness journeys.
More recently, Mary Lou and Stewart decided to volunteer to be on the committee for Togetherhood, the YMCA’s signature program for social responsibility, where members are invited to lead and participate in volunteer service projects that benefit the community where they live. Knowing how vital volunteers are to the mission of the Y, they willingly give of their time to serve their neighbors.
The Y was there to encourage Mary Lou and Stewart for different reasons and at different stages of their lives. All these years later, the Y is still there, but now it is this couple who encourages, setting an example not just for their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, but for the old, young and every age in between to live a healthy life, be a friend to others and give back to the community.