Singing the Praises of an Unsung Heroine

Allentown resident Edith Roeder is a vibrant 87-year-old retired educator, Westminster Village volunteer extraordinaire, and an accomplished, award-winning artist.  Her talents as painter, craftswoman, gardener, donor and community volunteer are notable.  “I’ll try anything!” she says cheerfully.

Her dedication to local art and artists led her to volunteer her time and tremendous energy to establish a ‘Meet the Artist’ gallery at Westminster Village in 2005.  Since then, Edith has been coordinator of a series of changing exhibitions, each lasting about six weeks, of the work of Lehigh Valley artists in an area now called the Indoor Garden Gallery at Westminster Village.  It is a perfect fit for everyone.

As the community liaison between Westminster Village and the artists, Edith enthuses, “the Westminster Village Indoor Garden Gallery – there is nothing else like it.  The artists are selling art.  It couldn’t be a nicer place to show.”  Due to Edith, more than 500 artists, friends and followers have enjoyed Westminster Village, and the gallery is completely booked into 2010!

Part of Edith’s inspiration to serve is her devotion to her husband, Sam, who died in 1999 after suffering from dementia for nearly ten years.  Choosing to care for him at home for many years, Edith ultimately had to send him to a hospital-affiliated nursing home that was “the best place” she could find.  “I was attached to a man who suffered from dementia,” she says simply.  “He never lost me; he lost himself.  He looked for me all day because he was looking for himself.  People with dementia want ‘to go home’ because they want a return to the way they used to be.”

“There is a tremendous need for dementia neighborhoods such as Westminster Village is creating,” says Edith, “the need for a better, happier lifestyle for people with this disease.  Looking ahead, we must find a way to treat Alzheimer’s.”

Recognizing that Westminster Village champions her belief that “more can be done” for those living with dementia, Edith is an enthusiastic participant in Campaign Westminster: Giving for Living as well as a generous donor of her time and artistic talents.  Fully embracing life, Edith Roeder inspires all of us.