New Pond Village Honors Former Walpole Resident as Heart of the Community

Honoring a Beloved Heart of the Community

In a moving presentation on Giving Tuesday, New Pond Village, a continuing care retirement community in Walpole, MA, posthumously honored one of its residents with the annual Heart of the Community Award. In addition to presenting the award to Lois Fitzgerald’s family, the community also dedicated the campus Curiosity Shop, where she volunteered, in her memory.

“Lois was a dedicated volunteer, a friendly face and perhaps the biggest Red Sox fan I’ve ever known,” said Campus Executive Director Adam Manchester. “We all miss her constant smile, but we’re humbled to honor her through this award and by dedicating the shop to her.”

Celebrating a Legacy of Service and Joy

New Pond Village created the Heart of the Community Award to recognize the important role philanthropy plays in enriching lives and to showcase the impact one person can have, especially in their retirement years.

Mrs. Fitzgerald raised money for local causes by running the Curiosity Shop inside New Pond Village. Proceeds from the shop, filled with knick-knacks and second-hand items, benefited the Walpole High School Scholarship Fund and the Walpole Public Library. Mrs. Fitzgerald, who passed away earlier this year, was a longtime Walpole resident and graduated from Walpole High School, where she played softball.

“Mrs. Fitzgerald was very much the heart of New Pond Village, not only serving as a tireless volunteer but also offering her friendship and warm smile to all around her,” said Benchmark Senior Living Chairman and CEO Tom Grape. “In sharing that spirit with the greater Walpole community through her volunteer work, she embodied Benchmark’s core values — Called to Care, Better Together and Be the Benchmark.”

Family Reflections on a Remarkable Woman

Mrs. Fitzgerald’s son and daughter visited the community to receive the award and commemorate the shop.

“It is such an honor that after she had passed away they would still think of her and invite us to represent her,” said Deb Iddings, Mrs. Fitzgerald’s daughter.

“She was the most giving person you would find, and the nicest. Even through all of her struggles, no matter what her health was, she would still smile and try to make you feel good.”