Age-Friendly Tucker: A Tribute and a Thank You to Dr. Lois Ricci

GUY VAN ORT

he Tucker Age-Friendly City Initiative, developed and now managed by Tucker Civic Association (TCA) Lifelong Community Committee, was the vision of one individual whom we all grew to know and love: Dr. Lois Ricci. Even at the age of 81, Lois could run circles around most of us. She worked tirelessly on trying to improve and support the vision of Tucker being a place for people of all ages. During the six years since Tucker became a city, TCA and its many committees worked toward improving the future of Tucker. Lois made sure the Lifelong Community Committee met regularly and had a plan of action and goals to achieve. One such goal was to obtain the World Health Organization Age-Friendly City designation. We began regular meetings on this in 2017, with Lois leading the charge. The application process was grueling, but through Lois’s encouragement and guidance, members stepped up to chair each Domain, or interconnected areas that help to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people. After months of preparation and planning, Lois received notice in December 2018 that the city’s application for Age-Friendly City was approved. Now the real work would begin. TCA had a plan for the Domains, but it was time to put words into action. Lois tirelessly held meetings and phone calls with members of the committees to make sure we were meeting our deadlines and working on the ideas we’d set forth in the application. On so many occasions, it was Lois’s energy that kept the rest of us motivated. I’m not sure where she got the energy, but it was inspiring.

While she was getting the Age-Friendly City initiative off the ground, Lois was still working a few days per week as an adjunct faculty member at Kennesaw State University, where she taught gerontology courses and the Professional Development in Gerontology Certificate Class. She served as an official representative for American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), co-facilitator for the Rosalyn Carter CareNet, and on the board of the Atlanta Regional Commission Advisory Committee on Aging. Recently, she was also voted president of the Georgia Gerontology Society. Lois was always looking for “what else” she could do to improve the lives of Tucker residents, and with a vast network of connections, she always seemed to know the right partners to call on.

THere are a few additional programs that Lois inspired or helped organize to benefit Tucker residents. The Yellow Dot Program (tuckercivic. org/yellow-dot-program) helps first responders access life-saving medical information on an individual when responding to an emergency situation. Packets, including stickers and enrollment information for the free plan, can be obtained at Tucker Recreation Center and Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library. The Tucker Walks (tuckercivic.org/tucker-walks-parks-streets-trails-groups/) committee held its kickoff on July 23, 2022, with close to one hundred people in attendance. Part of the America Walks/Mobility for All program, Tucker Walks spreads awareness of how walkable the City of Tucker is. By providing information on parks, trails, and preplanned routes, we hope to inspire Tucker residents to begin walking either alone, with neighbors, or in an organized group. Information can be found on the Tucker Walks website or Facebook group Tucker Welcomes You Home was born during another one of Lois’s TCA meetings in her home sunroom, one of my favorite places to meet. TCA will partner with the City of Tucker, who will provide the welcome bags and gifts that will be delivered to new residents by TCA volunteers. Like the old Welcome Wagon, Tucker Welcomes You Home will welcome new residents to Tucker and provide them important resources to feel immediately a part of the community. We lost our beloved Lois on November 4 after a short illness. She was cherished by all who knew her. Lois spent her life caring for others through a career that reflected her servant’s heart. She did not work for accolades, but rather she genuinely cared for and loved people. All Tucker residents will benefit from her devotion for years to come. It will be the responsibility of those she leaves behind to continue her legacy, and keep moving forward with the established programs and adding many more. Those of you who knew Lois often heard her long-expressed wish to see a Tucker Trolley, which would provide a fun mode of transportation around the city. TCA members commit to one day making her vision a reality. Tucker Lifelong Community has established The Lois Ricci Memorial Fund, to honor the life and work of Dr Lois Ricci. Not only was Lois larger than life, but her ambition for the wellbeing of her community was endless. She had more hopes and dreams for the good of Tucker than could be fulfilled in one lifetime. The fund will be dedicated specifically to the continuance of Lois’s projects that further the goals of the Age-Friendly City Initiative. Tax deductible contributions can be made out to the Mainstreet Tucker Alliance with “Lois Ricci Memorial Fund” as the beneficiary. All funds will go directly to this designated fund. This holiday season, let’s be thankful for the Angels amongst us.

Lois Ricci celebrated her sixty-first wedding anniversary with her husband, John, in August of this year.

GUY VAN ORT Before he became a realtor with Keller Williams Realty, Guy spent over thirty years as a consummate hospitality professional managing hotels in sixteen cities around the US. A resident of Tucker since 2012, he has served on the board of Tucker Civic Association and DeKalb Association of REALTORS®, and is a volunteer with ICare Seniors and Dachshund Rescue. Contact Guy Van Ort at guyvanort@gmail.com.