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Arlington Street resident Barbara B. O’Connell might be the longest-serving volunteer, having started more than 70 years ago when she lived in Cambridge. Not only is she a member of the Wildwood Cemetery Advisory Committee, but she’s also on the Disability Access Commission.
And if you’ve seen or been in the Winchester Memorial Day or Veterans Day parades, you’ve seen her handiwork.
O’Connell’s traveled a lot when her late husband Ed O’Connell worked for the U.S. Foreign Service.
“Right after we married,” she says, “he was stationed in Panama, where our daughter Consuelo was born. And in Congo (which is now called the Republic of the Congo) volunteered with a medical team from Switzerland. I spoke French and went with the team’s midwives, where I’d talk with the patients.
“I can remember my first experience seeing a Caesarian,” she continued. “And I volunteered with the local parish, bringing food to the local people. They’d say, ‘If you need anything, call Ed O’Connell’s wife.’ We also served in Côte D’Ivoire. Our daughter, also Barbara B. O’Connell, works in Ecuador.”
Her family moved to Winchester in 1967 and “in less than a year, Ed ran for library trustee. He was a selectman [the Select Board used to be called the Board of Selectmen] from 1976 to 1985.”
When she was in high school, O’Connell volunteered for the Holy Ghost Hospital for the Incurables, now called Spaulding Hospital.
She speaks passionately about the Disability Access Commission.
“We make sure the law is complied with. We go to restaurants in town, but unfortunately a lot of buildings can’t be changed” to accommodate people with disabilities.
“Everyone’s so cooperative,” she says, “including the police, the folks at Town Hall. We don’t do much but it’s a lively group.
“When the new Lynch School was being built, we followed the construction and gave the company our opinion. The town had to sue one of the companies for not following the rules, for instance the one about restroom mirrors,” she adds.
O’Connell joined the cemetery advisory board “maybe 25 years ago,” she recalls.
“Ed said, ‘They need you,’” she said. “I’ve seen some changes there. For instance, they now allow weekend burials and they built a columbarium for cremated remains.”
And 20 years ago, O’Connell took over organizing the Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades after Ed died.
“I put together invitations, including our state senators and (state representative) Mike Day,” she said. “We go over the plan and make sure all the schools participate. I meet with the parents of the parade participants and explain the protocol and dress requirements. If there’s a veteran in their family, I invite them to participate too.
“And the VFW wanted to educate kids about government so they offer a $500 prize for the best middle school student’s essay. Plus, we meet with the sixth-graders about veterans,” she continues.
But O’Connell is quick to point out that all these good works include many volunteers helping to get things done.
Winchester resident Joyce Westner is one of the founders of Winchester News. She holds a degree in English and journalism from Northeastern University. If you have a suggestion for either a Meet the Artist or Helpers Among Us resident, email editor@winchesternews.org.
