Antonia Maxner (Silva), affectionately referred to as Toni, is a resident of Lowell Housing Authority’s City View Towers property. Toni has an affable, no-nonsense personality, a warm heart, and is proud of her Portuguese roots. She loves to cook, but crocheting is her true passion. Toni welcomed the Authority to her home this week to share her love for crocheting. Scarves, shawls, hats, and gloves in various sizes were neatly organized on her kitchen table along with her working desk, which also featured a small sewing machine. Her home was just as immaculate as her attention to detail when laying out all her creations for us to admire.
Toni moved to City View Towers in 2018 along with her husband Maron. She met her husband Maron, working as a Certified Nursing Assistant, with Maron working as a nurse. She learned the art of crocheting attending to the many elderly residents who provided her with lessons, which she took gracefully. Toni and Maron lived happily and mostly kept to themselves at City View Towers, but in 2019, Maron sadly and unexpectantly passed away. While grieving, Toni takes comfort in taking care of her new cat Milo and has a positive attitude towards what life brings her way. Crocheting, while always a hobby, became a stronger passion to keep her busy in her husband’s absence.
The unique handmade articles she crafts take 1-3 hours to crochet depending on the article, and she donates them to St. Patrick’s Church, who distributes them to those in need. She expressed a sincere desire to make a difference in this world for those around her and to share her crocheting with others. Her articles are handcrafted with love, and this is evident in the quality of her work. When proudly pointing out each article, she shared that she has made a lot of clothing for women and girls, but will also be working on boys’ clothes, so they don’t feel left out. Toni hopes to continue to make clothing to donate to others and has ambitions to start a crocheting circle for interested residents to learn to crochet.
The Lowell Housing Authority thanks Toni for sharing her story, for her hospitality, and for her kindness towards others. The Housing Authority would like to support Toni’s efforts, and we’re seeking your help. We have the talent, but we need the supplies and eager pupils. The Housing Authority is collecting yarn donations, and recruiting residents interested in learning to crochet.
Help Us Support This New Resident Initiative!
If you or someone you know has extra skeins of yarn you’re willing to donate, or is a resident of an LHA property interested in learning a new skill, please contact Andrew Rocha at [email protected], or call 978-364-5311.
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