Westborough – A group of Westborough High School (WHS) students has been talking to local senior citizens as a way of ensuring that the elders” stories have been written down, in order to be preserved and shared with future generations.
The project, called “A Story to Tell,” was founded by WHS senior Michael Colbert, who was inspired to document life stories after enjoying many hours talking with his mother's great-uncle, Stelio Repola.
Here is Jo Tingley's story as told to WHS senior Megan Speed
“I's just an old lady,” says Josephine Tingley, a 77 year-old Natick native. As a proud mother of five, grandmother of ten, published author, and former Air Force nurse, her description of herself doesn's even begin to cover the extensive list of accomplishments she has achieved in her lifetime.
Jo grew up with only her mother and father. She enjoyed being an only child on birthdays and Christmas, but felt left out when her neighborhood friends would leave her to play with their siblings at night while she went home by herself. Without having a brother or sister to argue with, Jo and her mother fought during her teenage years. She learned quickly that she would never win that battle, and grew to love the time she spent with her parents. She decided in the eighth grade that she wanted to be a nurse, so she and her friend worked at a hospital moving patients around, making beds, and cleaning bedpans. For most people, this job would be less than thrilling, but she absolutely loved it. While her friend ended up as a math teacher, Jo attended Boston College School of Nursing and kept her license for 50 years. She entered in the service in 1957. Her first duty station was the England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana and then overseas duty. She was deployed to England for a year, where she met her husband.
Ford was a medic on the ward where she was assigned. Their relationship began on rocky ground. She didn's like that he smoked while serving meals. She “put on [her] best lieutenant face and told him to get the cigarette out of his mouth.” After turning on her heels and leaving him, he stood dumbfounded and angry with this woman he's never talked to before for telling him what to do. However, the two of them had night shifts together and falling asleep was a Court Martial offense. They needed something to keep them awake during the long hours between 11 PM and 7 AM. They talked and found they had a lot in common, and soon began to date. They weren's supposed to see each other, so they snuck around, meeting up in the cemetery or walking along the streets of London. They'se been married for 51 years now, and Jo says, “It goes fast if you have the right one.”
Jo and her husband had five children: two girls, identical twin boys, and another son. On March 7, 1970, their 8-year-old son died suddenly of viral pneumonia. “You never get over it,” says Jo, “but you have to go on.” Having been through such a difficult experience, her advice to younger people is to pray, have other interests, and surround yourself with people you love when you'se faced with adversity. Interestingly enough, the next few years were the most productive of her life. She co-wrote a book entitled “The Care of Twin Children: A Common Sense Guide for Parents,” which after being rejected by multiple companies, was published in 1978, followed by a second edition in 1985. They were the first people to write a book about raising twins. They spoke to groups of thousands of people, hung out with Larry King, and appeared on many television shows. Jo prefers her private life, however, where she doesn's have to worry about what the public will think of her.
Jo continues to write, journaling every day to document what's going on in her life. She also loves to read and crochet in her free time. She doesn's look forward to growing older, but says, “I did everything I wanted to do.” She is a free-spirited woman who feels joy in giving to others, and her sarcastic sense of humor is absolutely charming. Jo's family will enjoy reading her 40 volumes of journals for years to come, but you only have to meet her to see that she's already made her mark on the world.
