BRIER — During the many years he worked as a hospital administrator, Patrick Mahoney’s volunteer service was limited to time spent in boardrooms.
Helping to manage complex nonprofit organizations was rewarding work, he said, but something was missing.
As he prepared for retirement, Mahoney decided that volunteer work with individuals would be important in his life.
He became a Big Brother and worked with patients in hospice care.
“It was emotionally challenging work because you become quite connected to the people and become part of their families,” Mahoney said. “But it was a joy, very rewarding and it fulfilled my need to get away from the boards.”
After retiring as chief executive officer of a Skagit County hospital, Mahoney, now 69, is focusing his volunteer work on issues of aging.
He recently completed training to become a senior peer counselor through Senior Services of Snohomish County and works one-on-one with a fellow senior helping her manage the challenges of life. He also serves on the Snohomish County Council on Aging and he moderates Focus on Aging program segments on lifelong learning for 90.7 KSER-FM radio in Everett.
He hasn’t gotten away from the boardrooms altogether.
A graduate of Seattle University, Mahoney said he learned from the Jesuits at the school that life is about one’s contributions to others. Now he serves on the university’s alumni board and its board of regents, and is an adviser to the school’s college of nursing.
Mahoney and his wife, a Lynnwood teacher, have four children and seven grandchildren.
“We do the baby-sitting gig and love that, too, but I have a calendar and a daily schedule with my volunteer work. It’s a neat life,” Mahoney said. “Retired executives are well prepared for challenging volunteer assignments and I’ll keep doing mine for as long as I’m able.”
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