Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 14 seconds.
Imagine waiting 80 years to experience a lifelong passion. Mary Moe, a resident of Knollwood Military Retirement Community in Washington, D.C., knows that exact feeling. Her wait is over because, at age 91, Mary took to the skies as she fulfilled her lifelong dream of learning to fly a plane with the help of Wish of a Lifetime and TAD Relocation.
Mary has always had a passion for flying. At 10 years old, she read Charles Lindbergh’s book, WE, and dreamed of piloting a plane herself someday. She also became a fan of Amelia Earhart and the idea of flying a plane grew stronger. Mary daydreamed of being in the skies; she wanted to be able to soar and travel the world. After graduating high school and junior college in Philadelphia, Mary had her sights set on joining the military as a service pilot when they were just beginning to allow women to fly, but was too young at the time. So she waited. In the meantime, she met a young naval officer, Don, who she happily married. Mary devoted her time to raising their two children and volunteering as a Gray Lady for the Red Cross, but her dream of flying never faded.
Mary’s story is especially inspiring because, in 1957 as a young mother at age 34, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a long-term survivor, she is living proof of the importance of early detection and early treatment. At that time, there was limited information and success in beating cancer. Mary went to the hospital for a biopsy and came home with a radical mastectomy. Since peer support groups had not yet been developed, Mary did what she always did, kept a positive attitude and set her sights on the future. When talking about her cancer, Mary says “I am one of the survivors from that time because of early detection, early treatment, and a positive attitude.” She promised herself that she would become a “Flying Grandmother.” To Mary, this meant that she would not only survive cancer, but be able to raise her children to adulthood, and to see them living their dreams and raising their own families. Over the course of her life, Mary has fulfilled her dreams except for becoming a pilot. That is, until now.
Thanks to Wish of a Lifetime, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping seniors fulfil their lifelong dreams, and TAD Relocation, a professional move management company in the Washington Metropolitan area, Mary took to the skies at age 91! The TAD Relocation team wanted to honour seniors in the D.C. area and partnered with Wish of a Lifetime to raise funds to assist in fulfilling seniors’ wishes. TAD Relocation presented Mary with a certificate for flying lessons and gifts that were generously donated by the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, including a personal letter from Amelia Earhart’s niece.
To make the day even more special, four generations of women joined in the excitement of Mary’s Wish of a Lifetime. Mary’s daughter, granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters, cheered her on as she soared high as the “Flying Grandmother” at the age of 91. Mary said of the experience, “I got a few tears while I was up there…I couldn’t believe it was finally happening…I wish I’d done this 50 years ago.”
