A Life in Motion: RSVP Volunteer Gertrude Willey Turns 100
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On July 6, Gertrude Willey celebrated her 100th birthday, but after more than three decades of volunteering in her community, she says staying active is the secret to her longevity.
Willey has been volunteering for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program for 35 years, has earned 15,979 lifetime hours of service, said RSVP Director Lisa Torrey.
"She is proof that if you stay active in mind and body, that you can keep going," she said.
On Friday, RSVP volunteers filled the Controy Pavilion at Onota Lake to celebrate Willey's 100th birthday, and Mayor Peter Marchetti honored her with a certificate of recognition.
"I think volunteerism is at the heart of who we all are," Marchetti said, whether it is helping a neighbor or volunteering to help an organization.
"A lot of our nonprofits depend on volunteers to be able to work, and folks like Trude show a true example of what it's like to be involved in your community and help make your community better," he said.
Each of us touch lives one day at a time and it is clear, based on the number of people who attended the celebration, Willey has touched the lives of many, Marchetti said.
"Each of us touch lives one day at a time and at 100, I can only imagine how many lives that she's been able to touch," he said.
Willey grew up in Vienna, Austria, living through World War II, during which she experienced bombings, displacement, and watched her brother come home after serving in the Austrian army.
She also remembers Austria's annexation by Germany in 1938 and having to exchange her Austrian passport for a German one.
Staying active has been a defining part of Willey's life, from her days as a professional ice skater in Austria to immigrating to the United States at age 28 after marrying Floyd Willey, an American soldier stationed there with the Army.
After moving to America, she focused on raising her five kids and when her youngest started going to school she worked in the Lenox Public School's kitchen and later at two banks in Pittsfield.
When she retired, Willey looked for ways to stay active and began volunteering in 1991 through RSVP. Her first assignment was at City Hall, where she helped contact residents with unpaid water and sewer bills.
"I had to have something to do and I loved it. I started out and I really loved it so I continued — met so many nice people," she said.
Today, Willey continues to give back, volunteering with several RSVP stations and teaching two hour-long osteo exercise classes at the Ralph Froio Senior Center twice a week.
Monetarily, the number of hours she has put in during her lifetime has had a significant impact because the jobs she does would have to be filled with a paid employee.
In 2025, the nearly 500 RSVP volunteers donated 44,457 hours, across 51 stations. With a value of $33.79 per hour this equates to $1,546,659, Torrey said during the RSVP Volunteer Recognition Luncheon in April.
Based on these calculations, in her lifetime, Willey's monetary impact equates to about $539,930.
Willey understands the value of helping her community and its residents, believing that without volunteerism, the good things that strengthen a community would not happen, Torrey said.
"Every community needs volunteers. I mean, there are so many expenses in a community that they don't have some money until they get unpaid people to work," Willey said.
Her legacy is one of kindness, empathy, compassion, and community service, Torrey said.
It is important for seniors to understand that retirement is not the end, because they have so much to offer the community through volunteerism, she said.
Tags: birthday, centenarian, recognition event, RSVP, volunteers,
