30-YEAR MASTER MASON
GOLD CIRCLE LEVEL DONOR
PACIFIC RIM NO. 567 (PAST MASTER)
METROPOLITAN NO. 352
By Ian A. Stewart
California Freemason: You made an extremely generous gift to the Masonic Homes this year in honor of your late mother-in-law. What inspired you to give back?
Edward Page: My wife and I moved back to Taiwan to take care of her parents for about seven years. Her mother had Alzheimer’s, and it was 24/7 taking care of her. So we became really well-versed in and concerned about dementia care—for those currently suffering and for what we might all be facing as the days go forward. After she died and we came back, we thought, You know what? We’d like to give back. And I thought about the Masonic Homes taking care of people, and that became something near and dear to my heart.
CFM: It can be really challenging to care for a parent with dementia. What was that like for you both?
E.P.: It’s tough. It’s really hard. My wife was very close to her mother, and to see this very kind and loving person turn into, sometimes, not as loving and kind a person was difficult. There were moments when she retained it, but then other times when it was very combative. Still, we had it better than many stories I’ve heard, because she never really lost her cognitive knowledge of who her daughter was and she knew she was there for her best interests.
CFM: This was your first donation to the Homes; what would you tell people who feel like they don’t have the resources to give back but want to?
E.P.: Ever since I became a Mason, I’d always had a desire to do something. In my younger days, I wish I could have given. I appreciated everything that others were doing and wanted to participate. So if you can, it’s good to do even a little bit as you go. For those who have it OK and have some funds available, it’s a way to show appreciation for all the things the fraternity has provided and to acknowledge the work of the Masonic Homes.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT:
Russ Hennings/Moonbeam Studios
