Everyone has a story. Velleda Scalise’s story is one of care and compassion, resilience and love. Especially love.
Her story starts in New York. Brooklyn to be exact, where she grew up with two older brothers and her parents. Her mother was a nurse and her father was a medical technician. Velleda admired her mother and wanted to follow in her footsteps.
“When I was growing up, I always knew I was going to be a nurse,” she said. “I never thought to be anything else.”
Caring came naturally to Velleda, a trait evident from her early days as a nurse’s aide and then as a licensed practical nurse. She went back to college later in her 30s to become a registered nurse.
But in between, Velleda fell in love or rather she was swept off her feet. She went with a friend to a college mixer. Her friend’s boyfriend had a best friend who attended the same college. The best friend turned out to be the love of her life, her husband Dick.
“Two best friends married two best friends,” said Velleda. “From the first day we met he said he wanted to propose. He was a big romantic.”
They dated and married young and soon after started a family. Not long into their marriage, Velleda’s husband was diagnosed with cancer. He was only 25, but the diagnosis inspired Scalise to go into oncology. “When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I got to know a lot of the doctors and nurses at Roswell Park where he was treated, and it stuck with me.
Her heart was drawn to oncology, a field many approach with caution, but for Velleda it held purpose. “Right out of nursing school, I went into oncology, which is unusual. Typically they make you do a year or two of med-surge, but I was valedictorian of my nursing class, so I was accepted into oncology right away.”
Her husband’s cancer diagnosis early in their marriage kindled a desire to bring solace and support to those navigating cancer. “There’s so much reward. Either you help patients be cured or you help them pass away peaceful,” she said.
Together, Velleda and her husband journeyed into marriage and raised a family, even as cancer cast a shadow, a constant companion that would shape the Scalise’s path.
Life’s trajectory led them to Maryland. By this time, the Scalises had welcomed their first grandchild and their daughter sought out their help. Since Dick’s cancer diagnosis no longer allowed him to work, the ever-devoted husband and caring grandpa embraced the role of “daddy daycare” with unwavering love.
When Dick wasn’t caring for his grandson, he took on the role of coach. “Baseball was Dick’s passion,” said Velleda. When the cancer impacted his ability to work, her husband kept busy by volunteering as coach for Little League Baseball and football.
Velleda meanwhile found purpose at Walter Reed Medical Center where she cared for U.S. service men and women returning from conflict in Afghanistan. She witnessed their bravery and unyielding spirit amidst sometimes horrific pain.
“They had the best attitudes. They were always trying to cheer us up but there were days when I went home in tears when I’d see a double amputee or someone who had gotten shrapnel and we’d have to debride wounds and it was very painful.”
As fate would have it, an injury marked the end of her nursing career leading them to a crossroad they hadn’t foreseen. Disability and her husband’s recurring cancer brough the realization that change was inevitable. Dick wanted to be closer to the doctors and nurses he was familiar with in New York. Plus, as his illness progressed, he needed more support physically.
They downsized into a one-bedroom apartment on a ground level to make the most of their remaining days together. “My husband, at the end, for two months, I couldn’t leave him alone because he kept falling. He was so weak from the cancer and the medications,” recalled Velleda.
The Scalises were married almost 49 years, before Dick succumbed to cancer. “I wouldn’t change anything at all,” said Velleda beaming with love at the memory of her husband.
At his memorial service, players he coached made the trip to New York to share memories and pay their respects. “He was like a father to all these kids,” said Velleda. “Their mothers would say what a positive influence he was on their sons.”
Her husband’s passing was a poignant chapter, leaving an ache only time, memories and family could soothe. With the guidance and encouragement of her children, Velleda found herself in a new home and new community that wrapped its arms around her.
My daughters wanted me to be closer. My son-in-law is a mortgage broker, so he knows people in housing. He had heard of Park View at Emerson, located in Maryland, and suggested we check it out.
Velleda’s daughter and son-in-law visited the senior community owned and managed by Enterprise, and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“By some miracle they had an opening,” said Velleda who admitted it was a hard decision to move. She was close to long-time friends and neighbors in New York, but understood her daughters were worried and wanted her to be nearer.
Now, the days in her new home are filled with reflections of her husband, of their dreams and shared passions. Her apartment is a haven that echoes with the laughter of grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She is surrounded by family, friends and the nostalgia of a generous, caring life lived to the fullest.
Velleda strolls the neighborhood—a regular two-mile route when the weather is fair. Every greeting exchanged is a new thread binding her to a community reminiscent of the small-town camaraderie she had known before her husband’s passing. Luncheons, community meetings and shared trips with new friends and neighbors who live at Park View at Emerson have become part of her new routine.
Velleda finds comfort in this new chapter of life. Every moment is a testament to the love that shapes her, the resilience that defines her and the caring spirit that continues to light her path. Her remarkable story is a tribute to the amazing loves of her life. “I have been blessed,” she said.
Enterprise Residential would like to thank Mrs. Scalise for sharing her story with us. Velleda Scalise is a resident of Park View at Emerson senior community in Maryland. For more about Park View at Emerson or any Enterprise community, find us online at enterpriseresidential.org.