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Villa Maria Trustee Does the Right Thing

WESTON, Conn. — When Susan Jordan lost her husband to cancer nine years ago, she wanted the residents of Weston to know how thankful she was for their help and support during his illness. She said it by joining the ranks of the volunteer emergency medical service that was always there for her family in their times of need.

“It just felt like the right thing to do,” Susan said at a small table inside Lunch Box in Weston. The second she entered the building, patrons smiled and greeted her.

Jordan and her husband, Robert, raised their children in town while both worked as writers. Much of her work was for commercials and advertising. She considers herself lucky that her career allowed her to stay home with her children as they grew.

Being a professional mother had its challenges. Her youngest son, Harry, was diagnosed with learning disabilities. To help him overcome his obstacles, she enrolled him at Villa Maria School in Stamford. He flourished there, graduating from eighth grade as class president.

While Harry was at the school and Robert was in the hospital, terrorists scarred the nation on Sept. 11, 2001. Harry's stepbrother, Rob, didn't make it out of the towers. Jordan says the skills the Villa Maria staff use to help a student overcome learning disabilities also helped Harry cope with the events of that day.

“Villa Maria has a very special gift of nurturing students, but beyond that they are able to identify exactly what the child needs,” said Jordan.

Today, Harry lives in Florida and is doing well. Her other children, Allie and David, have also grown to lead successful lives. Jordan serves on Villa Maria's Board of Trustees when she's not on a call or handling communications and public relations for the EMT service.

She also has returned to writing for productions, though she has turned to documentaries. Jordan writes copy for Untold News to help show a side of the Middle East and Israel that many Americans don't know about.

As the interview winds down, Jordan notes that it was another Robert, her father, who inspired her to take up the art of writing. Bob Spindler was an advertising manager for ATT.

“He said to me, 'If I were you, I'd be one of those overpriced copy writers,'” laughed Jordan.

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