GreenRoots, under the leadership of Executive Director Roseann Bongiovanni, honored lifelong resident and community leader Judie Dyer on her 90th birthday Jan. 14 at a well-attended celebration at GreenRoots Teaching Kitchen on Pearl Street.
City Manager Fidel Maltez, his wife, State Undersecretary of Environmental Justice and Equity Maria Belen Power, State Rep. Judith Garcia, City Council President Roberto Jimenez Rivera, City Councilor Lisa Santagate, and School Committee Member Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Neville congratulated Dyer on her birthday milestone and expressed their gratitude for her continuing contributions to the community.
“This is a gathering of friends and family, people that you’re with all the time that care about you, come to visit you, and think of you,” Bongiovanni told Dyer in her remarks. “We just wanted to celebrate this remarkable achievement of turning 90 years old. A lifetime resident, always in Chelsea for 90 years, that in and of itself, is worth a celebration. We all wish you a very happy birthday with so much love and joy.”
Dyer has been a volunteer in several local organizations throughout her life. She is a past recipient of Chelsea’s Outstanding Resident of the Year Award.
Dyer is a 1953 graduate of Chelsea High School. She worked at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea as a bookkeeper and office manager.
Mrs. Dyer is the mother of three children and a grandmother of one.
“I love all the good things about Chelsea,” said Dyer, daughter of Mitchell Dyer, a tugboat captain, and Natalie Dyer. “Almost 100 years ago, my father would ride his tugboat back and forth to keep the ice from forming between the harbor and the ocean, so we didn’t see him much. His boat was called the Mary Ellen.”
She has fond memories of Broadway in Chelsea, notably Chelsea Tire and Cycle.
“You didn’t throw your bicycle away,” said Dyer. “You went to Chelsea Tire and Cycle, and they fixed it for you.”