History keeps women close Friends travel, share passion for past together

Blood is thicker than water, so they say. But you’d be hard pressed to find any four genuine sisters closer than this quartet.

Craft classes, working, volunteering and painting are but a few of the activities these women do, either individually or collectively. But the passion they share for history and travel binds them even closer together.

Every fall, for the last 15 years, the group has taken trips – by car, if possible.

“We drive almost everywhere,” said Bev Joy, 77. “Our kids have a fit because we just take off, but we don’t pay any attention.”

And take off they do. Four women and enough baggage for a 16-day journey hit the road for a most excellent adventure.

“If we can get them all in the car, we’re doing good,” said Betty Cobb, 74. “And then Joanne [McIntosh, 73] says her famous statement every time, about half an hour into the trip, ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m having fun already.'”

As the foursome sits around the table reminiscing, laughter fills Bev’s kitchen. It’s as though the ladies are reliving the fun of buckling up and heading out.

“And we all need each other,” said Betty of the necessary function each person serves on the trips.

Betty does all the booking of accommodations and makes travel arrangements. Joanne, Betty’s and Bev’s sister-in-law, is a skilled map reader and blessed with a good sense of direction. Rita Fahey, 71, longtime friend and “adopted sister,” is the treasurer and secretary of the trips. And Bev, well, they wouldn’t get far without her – Bev is in charge of pumping gas.

This common wanderlust began in 1989 when the women made their way to England.

“Betty kept saying ‘don’t lose your tickets, don’t lose your tickets,’ but when we got off the plane, guess who lost her ticket?” said Bev, wiping away tears of laughter. “She had to buy another one.”

As the travelers went through Customs, each informed the agent that the reason for their trip was a vacation. But Bev had grander ideas. When asked her reason for being in England, she answered, “I’m researching a book,” much to the amazement of her pals.

From the British Isles to Las Vegas to Williamsburg to Dollywood, these ladies are covering a chunk of the world.

“We sit around a table and pick where we want to go and what we’d like to see,” said Betty.

“We all like to do the same thing. And people in motels can’t believe we all stay in one room and get along so well,” said Joanne. “We are very compatible. We all know right where to go [in the room] – which side of the bed to take. I am always the first one up and I make the coffee. That’s my job.” The group has traveling together down to a science.

Being self-proclaimed history buffs, they have visited Gettysburg at least five times.

“I’m a big Abraham Lincoln fan,” said Bev, gesturing to the pictures hanging on her living room wall of the former president. “We drove to Lincoln’s house in Springfield, Illinois. There was a bust of him outside. People could rub his nose for luck. I didn’t like that at all. I don’t think Abe would like it either.

“In Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, there’s the chair he was killed in from the Ford’s Theatre. It even has a bloodstain. I also love General Longstreet. Of course he was southern, but he was good-looking,” she added with a laugh. His picture also adorns her wall.

It was the first trip to Gettysburg that actually sparked their interest in the Civil War, said Rita. And Civil War cemeteries are a favorite. The only one they have not visited yet is in Atlanta.

“I just love Gettysburg,” said Bev, with a wide smile. She especially enjoys taking the simulated train ride, complete with sound effects and a video, which re-enacts the ride Lincoln took to deliver the Gettysburg address. Her companions have had quite enough of that train, however. “Last time, Betty’s the only one that would take the ride with me.”

Their love of the past aside, the women also are very busy in the present.

Bev works full time at Mr. Paperback in Bangor, and Betty works part time for American Greetings and volunteers at St. Joseph Hospital. Joanne, an accomplished artist, has had exhibitions in various libraries and has sold a number of paintings. Rita volunteers at nursing homes and assisted living facilities visiting residents. She also, along with Betty and Joanne, ushers at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono.

The four women are continually contributing to the community and to each other, always watching out for one another, like sisters do.

But they always answer when the road calls.

“All the trips have been great,” said Rita. “And we’re not done yet.” Next year, the ladies are planning to visit Branson, Mo.

“Onward we go,” said Bev, her arm in the air as if to lead the way.

Carol Higgins is communications director at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.