By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Marlborough – Patti Foti, her friends agreed, knew how to get things done. As a proud Marlborough resident, home health aide and caregiver, she was an advocate for those who needed assistance, especially senior citizens in the community. In a firm but gentle way, she let city officials know what needed to be done and held them accountable. When she passed away unexpectedly at age 63 in March, her death left a huge hole in the hearts of many.
On Aug. 10, her family, along with her friends and neighbors in the Bolton Street apartments where she lived for the past year, gathered to not mourn, they said, but to celebrate her life. The ceremony was also a dedication for a special gazebo and recreational area on the property named in her honor.
The ceremony was originally intended to be held outside but a summer rainstorm forced officials to move it into the property’s clubhouse. But that was OK, Douglas Bushman, the Marlborough Community Development Authority executive director, said.
“We just planted out there and we need the rain,” he said. “This is her gift to us.”
During the short ceremony, Bushman and others remembered the woman who was dedicated to helping others.
“She did things and made things happened without publicity or demands,” Bushman said.
“She brought people together,” he added. “She loved Marlborough – she was passionate about it. She was a diamond of Marlborough.”
Barbara McGuire, the tenant board president, recalled her friend of 10 years as “an excellent caretaker.”
“I know she’s looking down on us,” she said. “I’m sure she thinks [the gazebo dedication] is a good thing, a memorable thing.”
Another friend, Dru Duval, said Foti was “an inspiration to all of us.”
The plaque that is placed next to the gazebo will ensure that Foti would always be remembered, Duval added.
Mayor Arthur Vigeant also spoke, noting that Foti was one of those people dedicated to making things better.
“She was a special person. I think she would also say no matter if you are 18, 80 or 90 – be sure to live the fullest every day because you really don’t know,” he added.
After the ceremony, for a few short moments, the rain let up, allowing Foti’s sons, Anthony and Christopher, to take a look at the gazebo and plaque which honored their mother.
It reads:
Patti Foti Memorial
This Place of Rest and Relaxation
Is in memory of Patti Foti
Resident of the Bolton Street Apartments
Who helped her Friends and Neighbors
Come Together for the Betterment of her Community
3.16.1953-3.23.2016
Before they left, her sons posed for a few pictures and remarked how much their mother would have loved the gazebo.
After they were done, heavier rains started up again. Patti Foti was once again taking care of things.