Oral history interview with Mary Fitzgerald
Title
Oral history interview with Mary Fitzgerald
Description
Mary Fitzgerald reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her family, church community, and everyday life at the Converse Home in Burlington, Vermont. She describes her two bouts with positive cases of the COVID-19 virus, which were fortunately not severe, and notes that most of her family had COVID at least once by the time of this interview. She also speaks about how many of her family members still lived nearby but were unable to hold their typical large family gatherings during the pandemic. Fitzgerald goes on to talk about other aspects of her life, especially how Burlington changed during her lifetime and the challenges her children and grandchildren faced raising families during the pandemic. Other topics included masking, going back to church after shutdowns, and vaccines. Fitzgerald also praised the Converse Home as a wonderful place to live.
At the time of this interview, Mary Fitzgerald had been a resident at the Converse Home, an assisted living community in Burlington, Vermont, since June 2022. Immediately prior to moving to Converse Home, she lived in an apartment complex in South Burlington, Vermont, for about ten years, including at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitzgerald was born and raised in the Burlington area. She married her husband while he was in medical school and they stayed in Burlington, buying a home, and raising eight children there. Her husband died in 2006, and she sold their home to their oldest granddaughter not long after.
At the time of this interview, the Converse Home in Burlington, Vermont, was the oldest assisted living community in Vermont, having been in operation for over 130 years.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
At the time of this interview, Mary Fitzgerald had been a resident at the Converse Home, an assisted living community in Burlington, Vermont, since June 2022. Immediately prior to moving to Converse Home, she lived in an apartment complex in South Burlington, Vermont, for about ten years, including at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fitzgerald was born and raised in the Burlington area. She married her husband while he was in medical school and they stayed in Burlington, buying a home, and raising eight children there. Her husband died in 2006, and she sold their home to their oldest granddaughter not long after.
At the time of this interview, the Converse Home in Burlington, Vermont, was the oldest assisted living community in Vermont, having been in operation for over 130 years.
Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.
Date
2023-03-28
Subject
Source
Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project
Identifier
AudioFileCOVID-026
Format
MP3
WAV
Type
Audio file
Rights
Permission to publish material from the Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project may be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.
Interviewer
Gustin, Amanda Kay
Interviewee
Fitzgerald, Mary
Duration
32 min., 10 sec.
Repository
Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4215
Collection
Citation
“Oral history interview with Mary Fitzgerald,” Digital Vermont: A Project of the Vermont Historical Society, accessed April 19, 2025, https://digitalvermont.org/vtcovid/AudioFileCOVID-026.