Vigue retires at age 87 after 15 years of volunteering for Windham Clothes Closet

Pat Vigue's friendly face will be greatly missed
at the Windham Clothes Closet as well as her
dedication to families she has helped with
compassion and dignity. Vigue has retired at
age 87 after years of service to the community.
PHOTO BY LORRAINE GLOWCZAK

By Lorraine Glowczak

Pat Vigue of Windham, the friendly face that greeted and assisted individuals and families at the Windham Clothes Closet, 377 Gray Road, retired a little over a month ago to spend more of her free time with family and friends. At 87 years young, she has a lot of adventure and spirit left in her and she doesn’t plan on sitting still very long.

“I will be busy with all kinds of family activities like birthdays, weddings, graduations and new babies,” Vigue said.

In addition to welcoming new family members by birth and marriage, Vigue and her husband, Gerry, will spend the majority of their summer at the family’s camp in Abbot at Piper Pond which is near Moosehead Lake.

However, once the camp is closed for winter, she can envision herself volunteering in another capacity this fall.

“I have a really hard time sitting still,” she said. “I’m toying with the idea of volunteering as a grandmother at the school. But I’m also socially active, so I enjoy the freedom of staying at home and visiting my friends whenever I want. We shall see what I do next.”

It seems ‘sitting still’ was never a part of Vigue’s personality as she has worked and volunteered in various interesting capacities throughout her lifetime. While raising a family of three, she was busy volunteering for clubs such as 4-H, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and offering free pony rides to her children’s friends on the farm where she lived in New Hampshire. It was on this farm that the family boarded horses.

Her career was as varied as her volunteer work. She recalls her job as a copywriter, writing ads for a radio station, stating she loved almost everything about it except for one thing.  

“Sometimes, I would even do a few speaking ads on the radio,” Vigue said. “I was really nervous whenever I had to do that.”

In addition to copywriting, Vigue worked as a copy editor for a small-town newspaper, owned an antique shop, worked in a gift store, and was a Maître D in a fine restaurant. Vigue’s last job was as a medical assistant for Dr. Mary Morse Dermatology.

“I worked for Dr. Morse until she was diagnosed with cancer and retired,” Vigue said. “I was 60 and decided to retire along with her.”

But Vigue’s ‘can’t sit still too long’ nature soon took hold, and her retirement was not a prolonged one.

“I really wanted something to do - something to occupy my time but wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do,” she said. “One day, as I was donating clothes to the clothes closet, I noticed they needed help. So, I contacted Madeline, the director at the time, and she was happy to have me on board.”

Now that Vigue has moved on to another chapter in life, her presence will be sorely missed.

“Pat will be missed greatly for she served the Town of Windham’s Clothes Closet, faithfully sorting, folding, handling and displaying all donated items while acting with the belief that everyone should be served with dignity and compassion,” said Rene Daniels, who now oversees the Windham Food Pantry and Clothes Closet as the General Assistance Coordinator.

Marge Govoni, who worked in the clothes closet and food pantry when the town was outsourcing general assistance, agrees with Daniels.

“In all the years that Pat has been running the Windham Clothes Closet, she has been the go-to person whenever there was a family in need,” Govoni said. “She has taken special orders and found ways to help those individuals. There was never a time that she turned anyone away, and the closet was always clean, neat, and organized. She spent many hours organizing and restocking besides being there for the hours it was open.”

No one has replaced Vigue’s role, but the Windham Clothes Closet is still open and can be visited by appointment by calling 207-892-1931.

Vigue offers encouragement for those who may be hesitant about visiting the Windham Clothes Closet.

“This is not necessarily a place for those who are in dire need,” Vigue said in a past interview. “The clothes closet is useful for those in temporary and extenuating circumstances such as changing jobs and damage to one’s home such as fires. Using the closet should not negatively reflect on any one individual.”

As the Town of Windham offers its fond farewell and gratitude, Govoni extends a statement that best describes Vigue and her 15 years of dedication.

“She was a rock star volunteer, and her smiling face will be missed there,” Govoni said. “I wish her a long and healthy retirement.” <