What once was an empty basement room at the Woodside Village elderly apartments in Oak Bluffs now teems with furniture, exercise equipment and craft supplies in honor of late Woodside resident association president Josephine Moreis Tucker.
The basement recreation room was dedicated to Ms. Tucker at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday afternoon, which saw the room filled with family and friends. Many at the ceremony lauded Ms. Tucker’s stern dedication, put to good use at Woodside where she spearheaded efforts to create more community spaces and activities for residents before her death in March.
“She wanted to make a difference,” said Trish Moreis, Ms. Tucker’s daughter.
Craft donations of yarn, fabric and books lined one wall of the recreation room, emblematic of Ms. Tucker’s work to bring resources to Woodside’s residents. Ms. Moreis said a wish list for more supplies was created and placed in the room in order to keep providing resources to residents.
“Since mom left, we really learned what a difference she made in people’s lives,” she said.
Others at the ceremony recalled Ms. Tucker’s personality and accomplishments. Island Elderly Housing president Simone DeSorcy said Ms. Tucker brought light to the bureaucratic lulls of running the apartments.
“We made progress, but we had laughter as we did it all,” she said.
She said Ms. Tucker was a force within Woodside Village, opting to take on all manner of tasks in an effort to better the community.
“How can I sum up JoJo with one word?” Ms. DeSorcy said. “All I could think of was dynamo.”
Ms. Moreis said with the newly decorated and dedicated room, she hopes that residents of Woodside Village will continue to keep Ms. Tucker in their minds as they make choices in their day-to-day lives.
“I just want to encourage people to be like JoJo,” she said.
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