Some of you know me as a feature story writer and monthly columnist (in the Op-Ed’s) for the Prov Journal. To some, I’m your neighbor who lived in Cranston (Edgewood) and now lives in Warwick (Cowesett). Some among you had me as teacher in Park View, Hugh B. Bain, or Cranston East. If you were…
Angels… …….You Might Want to Notice Them It seems seasonally appropriate to discuss “angels” and how they might appear in your life, without your fully realizing it. I recount an event that happened to Paul and me: Fifteen years ago, my husband, Paul Wesley Gates, was hit on a mountain road in Asheville, North Carolina,…
***For Veterans’ Day, I reprise 2 front pg stories I wrote for the Prov Journal…. Colonel Fredric Mellor: Rhode Island’s 1st Casualty of the Viet Nam War I didn’t really know Fred. But, as his brother Daniel’s widow, I became the lone caretaker for something Fred valued greatly: His Arnold Palmer “Classic” golf clubs in the…
Our society straight up amazes me. I see young female celebrities (so-called “influencers”) strutting about with their “bubble breasts” popping out all over; their pumped up lips pursed in inviting manner, while “Clothing optional” seems to be the rule, meaning they seemingly have no shame in exposing their nether regions. The only thing covered is their every move…
We were at the little clam shack we frequented over the years, when we biked the 14 mile route from one picturesque town to this other. You see, I always needed a carrot—an incentive to get me through the rigors of the long bike ride from Barrington to Quito’s in Bristol was that. Now that…
Recently, I spoke to an audience in Charlton, Massachusetts on “How to Survive and Even Thrive with a Loved One with Alzheimer’s”. First off, Charlton is definitely “out there,” a rural community dotted with farms, wide acreage, rolling hills. My talk was scheduled for 6:00 PM. I was accompanied by a former student, Amanda DiLeone…
I never thought, at my age, I’d become an advocate for caregivers and Veterans. How’d it happen? My personal experience that saw me felled by a disease that affects or will affect millions in the future—Alzheimer’s. Now–understand: I’m not even the person who has the disease. As wife and sole caregiver to my husband diagnosed…
It’ll be my first really big speaking venue. Masonicare, a 245 unit senior living community in that lovely seaside town of Mystic, Connecticut, has commissioned me to speak before their residents who range from independent living, to assisted living and memory care. How’d they hear about the woman (me) who tells how to survive and…
Paul and Colleen at Colt Park, Bristol
ProJo Columnist and Long-Time Caregiver Gives Inspiring Talks: “Many Have Called Theirs ‘A Love Story:‘ “ Colleen Kelly Mellor was sole Caregiver to her husband, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for 13+ years, but when she knew she could no longer do his 24/7 care, she sought out a residential place for him with which he–and she–could…
