Inspiring Lives
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FALL 2020 bucks county Inspiring Lives: Bill and Laurie Schutt Sustaining Your Lifestyle in Turbulent Times 18th Century Farm Living in Solebury A publication of Page 2 • bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER YOUR WELLNESS IS ESSENTIAL Schedule a telehealth visit with a St. Mary provider, today. We have designated COVID-Free Zones where we provide care only for people not known to have COVID-19 or COVID symptoms. trinityhealthma.org 10-15809 bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 • Page 3 DEMENTIA SHOULD NOT DEFINE HER. Artis helps her be who she’s always been. TheArtisWay.com/BucksCountyHerald 267-393-4040 Artis Senior Living of Yardley: 765 Stony Hill Road, Yardley, PA 19067 Check out our other nearby communities in Huntingdon Valley, PA and Princeton Junction, NJ. Page 4 • bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 LOCAL SENIORS INSPIRING US ALL: Bill and Laurie Schutt A Doylestown couple who excel in purposeful living Bill and Laurie Schutt enjoy life in their newly renovated historic home in the heart of Doylestown Borough. BY MELINDA RIZZO | PHOTOS BY JUAN VIDAL Like an old friend, Bill and Laurie Schutt’s Doylestown Borough home and generous front porch offers a welcome invitation to pull up a seat and settle in for a visit. They know life is precious, history is an honor, family is everything and community is a privilege. Bill and Laurie tap into their natural extroverted natures to be good stewards of their resources, enjoy abundant living and share their talents with others. “Neither of us is good at sitting around,” Bill said of the many organizations he and bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 • Page 5 Laurie support in and around the Doylestown area. LOCAL SENIORS INSPIRING US ALL: Bill uses his professional knowledge to mentor students at Drexel University and other organizations. He founded MAT- COR Inc., an engineering and manufac- turing consulting firm serving the oil and Bill and Laurie Schutt gas pipeline industries with domestic and international clients and offices. A Doylestown couple who excel in purposeful living Laurie shares her experience as a jour- Bill Schutt nalist and health care public relations pro- woodworking fessional by maintaining a newsletter ad- — a hobby that dressing the coronavirus pandemic. She’s he enjoys, along also writing a book that explores intriguing parallels between the 1918 influenza pan- with cooking demic and the current global pandemic. and playing Her newsletter, “Covid Times,” was ini- saxophone. tially intended to keep her neighbors con- nected. “We were new to the area…and I was very concerned about our neighbors, about them getting what they needed and keeping neighborhood connections,” she said. Months later, she now has readers from other countries. The Schutts used summer’s sunny weather -- and Bill’s saxophone quar- tet -- to stage casual al fresco concerts from the porch and lawn to entertain their neighbors. Page 6 • bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 While the pandemic altered how part of Bucks County, of Doylestown people interact with one another, the and the region,” Bill said. Schutts opened their landscape in a Mercer’s work is personal for Bill. socially distanced way to ease isola- An expert on concrete structures, it’s tion and share their joy. no coincidence Bill found a kindred Their motivation to be actively in- spirit in Henry Chapman Mercer, or volved in the community and make a that a Mercer tile border frames the difference in the lives of others may couple’s fireplace. be a key ingredient to the richness of The fireplace tile work in the cou- their golden years. ple’s home, designed by Architect Bill said “being purposeful about Milton B. Bean (1849-1938) and built how you’ll use the 24-hours in a around 1888, is thought to have been day,” has become a mindful- ness mission. The couple volunteers with the Mercer Museum, “Neither of us is good at and Bill serves on its board sitting around.” of directors, as well as other area organizations, including Delaware Valley University, Drexel University’s Advisory Board installed by Mercer personally. of the Entrepreneurial School Presi- An archeologist, collector of arti- dent’s Leadership Council. He’s also facts, tile maker and poured concrete an honorary lifetime board member of building designer, Mercer constructed the Central Bucks Chamber of Com- the Mercer Museum, his home, Font- merce. hill, and the Moravian Pottery and “We’re involved with the Mercer Tile Works. Museum…because it’s an important Bill and Laurie enjoy attending Getting to know Bill and Laurie Schutt Q: Beach or mountains? Bill: Beach. We have a house near the beach on Nantucket Island. Laurie loves to swim and snorkel, and grew up near the water in New York’s Long Island and in Florida. Q: What’s your favorite music? Laurie: Oldies from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, classical (but not opera) and jazz. Q: Who cooks, who gardens? Bill: I’m the cook, Laurie is the gardener. Laurie Schutt enjoys painting in her studio overlooking historic Doylestown. Q: What inspires you? Bill: So many things inspire me. Why bother doing something, if you’re not going to be enthusiastic and enjoy it? fundraising events together. Bill often serves of Fine Arts and doesn’t mind trying, as an auctioneer and he and Laurie “split up learning, failing, and trying again. “I Laurie: I’m inspired by people, and children never cease to amaze and work the room” to benefit organizations. think people really are afraid of failure, me. They know how to play, they have a fresh look at the world. Laurie began painting at the couple’s or that they don’t know anything,” Lau- home in Nantucket, near the ocean, and rie said. Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? brought her new hobby back to Doylestown. One of the things Laurie loves about Bill: Listen. If you listen, you’ll learn so much. If you listen to people, “When we are in Nantucket I take art Doylestown is its tight-knit, walkable you’ll get a little gem from everybody. classes, in watercolors, acrylics, oils, collage, downtown. pastels. It’s been fun to explore different “Even in the winter you can walk in Q: What’s your best advice to the next generation? things,” Laurie said. town. I like being outside… and getting Laurie: Don’t be afraid to give [something] a try. If you don’t succeed, She is taking a virtual art class out and seeing people is one of the joys there’s a lesson, and it’s not the end of the world. through the Pennsylvania Academy of living in Doylestown,” Laurie said. q bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 • Page 7 Page 8 • bucks county Senior Living October 15, 2020 Upping Your How to protect yourself from Cyber being a scamming target Security BY RICHARD ZWEIG anything within the email that you are not sure about. Clicking Senior citizens are now fully a link could be inviting a hack- committed to using the Internet and er to access your information. online tools like never before. Ac- Use a secure way to access your cording to the U.S. Census Bureau, online banking website (https:// over 50 million Americans over the vs. http://). It is always recommend- age of 65 use the Internet and email. ed to utilize two-step authentication. However, some of these older Amer- This is an additional code that the icans are “new” users and there are bank sends to you either through a inherent risks. The truth is that many text message or email. Do not use scammers target senior citizens. public or free Internet networks to Here are some suggestions access banking or financial sites. on how to protect yourself by Additional cyber security ac- upping your cyber security. tions that you can take include: Create strong passwords. The ● Install security software National Institute of Standards on your computer or device. and Technology (NIST) guidance Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, An- recommends a minimum of eight ti-Spyware and Internet Con- characters. You should use all tent Filtering should all be used characters, including special char- to counter security threats. acters such as @, #, $, %, &, * and ● A firewall should be installed +. Also, do not use any repeating on your home network. Most characters or sequences. A strong Internet service providers provide password is still the best defense a gateway to access the internet. for keeping you safe online. These devices have built in fire- Creating stronger passwords can help keep you safe in cyberspace. Be wary of the type of emails walls. Confirm that both the Wi-Fi that you receive. Many emails network and the administrative contain offers and links. These access have secure passwords. can be an attempt at a scam or ● Make sure the computer can be a phishing email from a operating system and appli- sender that is trying to land a big cations are up to date to ad- “Use caution, protect one. Don’t be that big one. Any dress security vulnerabilities. yourself and if you don’t offers that state “free,” “winner,” or Finally, think before you act. “deal” is usually an indication that Use caution, protect yourself and trust it, delete it.” someone is trying to scam you. if you don’t trust it, delete it. q Pay attention to the sender’s Richard Zweig is the president name and email address. If they and owner of CMIT Solutions of don’t match up, this can indicate Central Bucks.