Anna Mae Cecilio, a Vineyard native and former career nurse on the Island, now living on the Cape, was recognized recently by the Cape Cod Senior residences for her exemplary life and citizenship.

Born in 1927 on the Vineyard, Anna Mae was the oldest of 17 children and traces her heritage to the Cape Verde islands where her father and grandparents were born. She received her nursing degree in Boston and in 1949 married her childhood neighbor Frank Cecilio. In the summer of 1963 she went to work for Dr. Russell Hoxsie, intending to stay for just the summer. What followed was a 25-year career and a life devoted to helping others. She also volunteered in the VFW auxiliary and at Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard.

A mother of four, with five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Mrs. Cecilio was recently featured in The Buzz, a newsletter for the Cape Cod Residences, where she was the inaugural resident and helped cut the ribbon when the building opened.