Mary Myers, the ‘puzzle lady,’ loves spending time at senior wing

‘I’m going down there as long as I can’

DAVE SHANE

For the Daily News

Visitors to the senior wing at the Greater Midland Community Center have a lot to see and do.

There are exercise rooms that later in the day host people who play games like euchre or Mahjong. There is a billiards room where a group often gathers to play pool. There also are occasional music concerts and pancake breakfasts.

And, tucked away in one corner, there is a good chance you will see Mary Myers.

Myers, 80 and a longtime Midland resident, is a regular at the community center and has been for about the last eight years.

It started with an exercise program that she began at age 73 – solid proof that it’s never too late to begin a workout regimen. Soon after, she began tackling the jigsaw puzzles that are available to the public.

Now, she can usually be seen five days a week at the senior wing working on a puzzle.

“Yup, they call me the puzzle lady, but they know my name,” Myers said.

Working on jigsaw puzzles was a family tradition at her childhood home on the corner of East Buttles and Third streets, she told the Daily News.

“I came from a family of 10, and it was something we were always doing. Sometimes, we’d finish a puzzle in a night," she said. 14 Mary Myers, 80, of Midland, works on a jigsaw puzzle during a recent visit to the Greater Midland Community Center. (Photo by Dave Shane/For the

Daily News)

Myers worked for 29 years at the Midland hospital and has a son and daughter who still live in Midland.

She normally begins her day in the Wellness Center gymnasium at 7:30 a.m.

“There are usually quite a few people in there, some who work out before going to work,” she said.

Later in the morning, three days a week, she will participate in the SilverSneakers program, which consists of stretching and light workouts designed specifically for seniors. But between or after exercising, Myers heads back to a jigsaw puzzle set up in the senior wing “to wind down.” It’s a puzzle anyone can work on, but Myers admits she is usually there more than the other visitors.

“Yes, I think I sit there the longest,” she said. “But there’s a lot of people who come over and help, even the guys who come out of the pool hall come over and help, and on Wednesday the card players come out and help.” difficulty levels. They usually take about a week to finish, she said. And she enjoys the occasional difficult puzzle that works the brain.

“One time I had a Christmas puzzle. It had 1,500 pieces, I think. It took five to six weeks to do that one,” she said.

The supply of puzzles seems endless.

“People keep bringing in puzzles, so we haven’t run out yet.”

Myers had to avoid the community center during its downtime caused by the recent pandemic, but she continued exercising and working on puzzles at her nearby home. Otherwise, there is no keeping her from the building.

“It’s just like a part of my life. I’m over there every day at 7:30,” she said. “I love it. I’ve met so many wonderful people, and the staff there is nice.”

Amanda Ewald, the 50+ Program coordinator, said she has gotten to know Myers quite well over the years. Her office is not far from the puzzle table.

“She loves the facility and she loves the people. It’s her way of socializing,” Ewald said. “People get to know her pretty quickly. … and I would sit and do puzzles with her quite a bit.”

Their friendship apparently has a long future ahead of it.

“I’m going down there as long as I can,” Myers said. “I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.”

Senior Scope | September 2021