40 Over 40 Movement: Maureen, 75
During our session with Maureen, we decided to go timeless and classic with beauty portraits for her personal history, as well as a few professional headshots for her accounting business.
Born and raised in Swansea to Irish parents, Maureen has lived in Toronto her whole life.
Back in the 1960s, it was common for women to be either a secretary, teacher or nurse. Maureen graduated from Western Tech. Her path did not stop there. After 12 years at night school, while working full-time during the day, she got her university degree - a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a business theme. It took so long because she had to go back to high school to pick up all the math she needed to graduate.
Maureen always had a natural flair for numbers. They came naturally to her and made her eyes light up.
In her first job at the bank, she eventually became a head teller. She could detect a counterfeit bill just by touching it.
In the 1990s, however, due to the dip in the market there were very few full-time jobs and people were being let go. Maureen estimates that she has worked for over 50 companies in her lifetime. In retrospect, she admits she was not for the corporate world always being the person to ask: Why? Why are we doing things this way?
Accounting was something that Maureen was always doing part-time until she made it her primary business 16 years ago. She still has a couple of loyal clients who have been with her since 1998.
In her younger years, Maureen has done Scottish and Irish dancing. She’s travelled a lot in the past, and Australia and New Zealand are on her bucket list.
One fun activity Maureen is fond of is having been involved with the Toronto International Film Festival. She has volunteered with TIFF for 20 years! She has also volunteered for Pan Am games and did such a great job that in a draw she won a Porter Airline ticket and ended up going on a trip to Chicago.
Maureen values and respects all those she comes across, whether in business or life. She feels grateful to be getting along with her two siblings. They agree to disagree and are able to have some great conversations, which are not to be taken for granted.
In post-COVID times, Maureen enjoys simple pleasures in life, like reading outside in the park. She likes to spend time outside watching the kids play and the dogs go by.