EAST LONGMEADOW — It’s been said, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. As an editor and writer with Reminder Publishing in East Longmeadow, Debbie Gardner, 67, loves what she does and can’t believe she’s being saluted for doing it well into her 60s.
Gardner is one of only seven winners of Glenmeadow’s first-ever Age of Excellence Awards, which celebrate “trailblazers redefining life at 60 and beyond,” according to a statement from the independent and assisted living community in Longmeadow.
“It’s been hard for me to wrap my head around this because I feel as though I’m just doing my job. This is what I do, and I love what I do,” she said.
Gardner began working for Reminder Publishing in 1996. She had been in retail, writing content for marketing materials and technical documents. But after 12 years of that, she wanted to pursue her first love of creative writing and journalism.
“I found I wasn’t really a good fit at the other jobs. I could do them, but I didn’t enjoy them,” she said.
Gardner’s first assignment at the publishing group was to write and edit Connecticut Prime, a newspaper that carried news and information for senior citizens in the Nutmeg State. But soon after starting that role, the publisher stopped printing Prime, so Gardner joined The Reminder’s news team as a staff writer.
The journalist reported for various editions of the newspaper before being tapped to edit Prime Times for Western Massachusetts.
When it first rolled off the presses, Prime Times featured basic senior center-style news and events. But she quickly began developing content that went deeper, and more profoundly into issues that affected people over 60, even as young as 50.
She wrote about divorce, second marriages and new careers. She explored issues of mental health, transportation, food stamps, blended families, new careers, making friends, exercising and caring for aging parents.
Gardner and her husband adopted a 9-month-old boy from Russia in 2000 — so over the years, she has written about adoption and having children later in life.
“When I took over Prime in 2000, we started broadening it. I tried to expand the appeal by talking about what retirement meant to people. I looked for people that had interesting careers, or who were still working post-retirement,” she said.
Gardner has also stepped up to write and edit seasonal publications, gift guides and annual editions of Savvy After Fifty-Five, a popular guide to local resources, products, services and information for people 55 and older. The longtime editor is working on the 15th edition of the much anticipated, highly read publication.
“It’s a comprehensive guide to the best aging you can have in the area, everything people might need,” she said. “There is information about things like aging in place, remodeling, how to keep your brain healthy and starting a new career,” she said.
Glenmeadow received some three dozen nominations for its Age of Excellence Awards. Narrowing the field of winners to just seven meant identifying local people who are turning heads in their later years.
“Our goal is to celebrate those over 60 who are inspiring us all. This might include those who have committed to serving the community, who have started an encore career, who have an adventurous spirit or are generally legendary,” said the retirement community, in a statement.
In naming Gardner an award winner, Glenmeadow called her a “champion of community voices.”
“Debbie’s approach to her role exemplifies how age can be a powerful asset in storytelling, influencing, and inspiring. Her ability to blend experience with a genuine care for others serves as a testament to the adage that most things get better with age. By using her platform to support and celebrate community efforts, Debbie inspires others to stay active and engaged, proving that one’s influence and dedication grow stronger with each passing year,” Glenmeadow continued.
In 1979, when Gardner began attending what was then Western New England College, she wanted to be a teacher. But as she cobbled together as many writing courses as she could, her career trajectory shifted from teaching to writing. Now, she is doing both.
Using her platform to entertain and inform, Gardner has gone from writing for an older audience, to joining it, and speaking to her peers. Age is not slowing her down, it is propelling her and informing what she is doing.
“Age is an asset, because you’ve been through a lot of things yourself. Sometimes what you’re hearing in someone, is they may be dealing with a person who’s had a serial illness or a death from some terrible disease. I’ve experienced those things, so I can understand. I completely get where they’re at, I understand what they’re talking about,” she said.
Over the decades, people have asked Gardner to tell their stories and support their causes — to get the word out about this charity or that fundraiser. And she’s gone to them, looking for information, trying to put a name and voice to a human-interest piece. Editor and reader have obliged and trusted each other for a long time.
“It’s a privilege to tell someone’s story. They give me a gift, and my job is to make sure it’s presented in the best way possible. In many of these cases, it’s been an honor to tell their stories,” she said.
In winning this award, Gardner is a member of an elite few who are emblems of forbearance and perseverance. For them, it’s not been a life well-lived, so much as an ongoing drive to live well.
“I know from research and the work I do that the idea of retirement is changing, it’s not necessarily that you have to stop. You can continue on in some forms. I’m blessed I’ve been able to continue doing what I love, where I love doing it,” she said. “But it feels kind of odd to be held up as an example for doing my job.”
