When Susan Roy was fourteen, she lost the great grandmother she had lived with since her birth. Soon after, she lost her grandmother. Roy had to deal with grief at a young age, and this, perhaps, is why she has chosen to work with the grieving, and why she has been so successful in it.
Roy worked as the director of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter at a critical point in Waterville’s recent history, right after its economic downturn. And, after working in the homeless shelter, she worked at Maine General as a hospice and palliative care social worker— a job dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with serious illnesses and assisting their families with the care such illnesses require.
Roy now works as the executive director at the Hospice Volunteers of the Waterville Area (HVWA), continuing to provide for people with serious and terminal illnesses. Though her work is not always as individual and personal at the HVWA, she works hard to keep the organization running and to provide help to the grieving, doing “whatever needs to be done in a small grassroots non-profit.” In her job at the HVWA, and in all of the major positions she held before, Roy has helped people who are suffering.
Susan Roy works a good deal to improve the lives of suffering and grieving communities, and it is clear in speaking to her about her life that she greatly values community. When she speaks about enjoying her job, her first response is about people, about the community at HVWA. She loves to work there because they “have a fabulous staff, and the community could not be any better—the community here, and the community that supports us.” She is deeply appreciative of the people in her community, strongly praising those who run the HVWA’s resale shop for its success.
The value Roy puts in community can be seen not only on a small scale, within HVWA, but on a much larger scale too, within the city of Waterville. She is delighted with Waterville—she loves it and “definitely consider[s] it [her] home.” Growing up in a smaller town in the area, she was a bit intimidated by Waterville, thinking of it as “the big city.” But after moving here, she found it to be, in actuality, “a nice small city with a really nice feel” and “a great place to get involved.” Roy has been very involved in the community, working on committees of the United Way and the Rotary. She continues to be appreciative, crediting the Rotary in teaching her a great deal, and helping her become a better public speaker.
Susan Roy clearly contributes to the community she appreciates so much. Her dedication to helping the grieving and suffering—a dedication that stems from her own childhood—inspires. She is endlessly grateful to her community, endlessly excited about it. Whether she is speaking about something as simple as hiking on the Quarry Road trails, or as complex as the entire town of Waterville, she speaks with passion, excitement, and a genuine sense of appreciation.