A perfect day to celebrate an extraordinary woman
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Sep. 22—When Joanne Moore began her physical therapy practice in East Lyme years ago, it was with a sense of community.
"I've always wanted to give back and I always considered it important to help people journey through the challenging parts of life," she said.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Harkness Park earlier this month, over 50 people got together to celebrate Moore for a life well-lived.
"I have a story with each one of these people," Moore said.
Moore's two sons, Ned and Steve, helped organize the event, which featured an improv show, a sunset cruise and an official proclamation from East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson that Sept. 12 — her 70th birthday — was officially Joanne Moore Day in the Town of East Lyme.
Moore has packed a lot into her 70 years. She owned and operated Shoreline Physical Therapy Services for 37 years until retiring last year. She was a member of the first graduating class at East Lyme High in 1969, was president of the Niantic Community Church congregation and was president of the board of directors of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Youth Orchestra.
She's also a founding member of Soroptimists, Connecticut Shoreline Club, as well as a member of the League of Women Voters and on their state board of directors. She's a founding member of the Niantic Toastmasters Community Club and wrote a book, "After the Loss of a Spouse: What's Next," and began a magazine Pathfinder: A Companion Guide for the Widow/er's Journey, following the death of her husband in 2009.
More important, she's the kind of woman who'll hop on a plane to Atlanta and fly right back so her daughter-in-law doesn't have to fly alone with three young children.
"She's a phenomenal mom, a rock star," Steve Moore said.
Attendees were encouraged to make signs for Joanne. A sampling includes: 'Ban sidewalks, build labyrinths,' an ode to her quest to make a labyrinth at McCook's Point Park, 'Use less paper,' and 'Make cookies, not your bed.'
After presenting her with the proclamation, Steve Moore told the attendees gathered at Harkness an anecdote about his mom he's come to love.
As a sophomore undergrad at Central Connecticut State, Joanne Moore was studying to be a physical education teacher when she learned Quinnipiac was starting a new physical therapy program. She applied, but was not admitted. Instead of accepting the news, she camped outside the office of the dean of admissions for three days.
As Steve tells the story, Joanne was delightful to the secretaries and every time the dean passed by, she politely gave him another reason her candidacy should be reconsidered. She was there when they unlocked the doors in the morning and she left with them at night. After three days, she was admitted, which eventually led to her professional career.
"A lot of people accept no for an answer," Steve Moore said. "My mom taught me that you shouldn't. Ask why not. ... She has a saying that if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough."
And so friends and family gathered on a dreamy day at Harkness to celebrate Joanne Moore's life, and the town she made her home and raised her family in made it official.
