Maria Robredo

At the age of 91, Maria Robredo is healthy and spry, qualities she attributes to the sense of humor that never leaves her.

And yes, she’s earned the right to be persnickety, too, particularly in regard to her home.

“I like things done well in every possible aspect,” she says.

The Riverside retirement community in Williamsburg exceeds her expectations.

“I am here, but I don’t need medical assistance,” she says. 

She prefers to handle basic household chores, such as making her bed and changing it. She exercises daily. Patriots Colony has a state-of-the-art fitness center and virtual classes.

“Real exercise,” she stresses. “With weights and legs and everything. They are fabulous here.”

Because she is so healthy, Robredo wanted to be proactive in preparing for her future. Someday she knows she might need medical care and when she does, she wants to be in the most capable hands. Patriots Colony is sponsored by Riverside Health System, the leading provider of services to seniors in the Commonwealth.

Robredo’s late husband, psychiatrist Martin Palmaz, worked with all the senior living communities over several decades and touted Patriots Colony as the best.

“There are at least four other places like this in Williamsburg and I know them all very well,” she says. “Some of them have apartments that are fabulous, but the medical treatment is not good at all.”

“This is the perfect moment to come here. I chose my home and I am really lucky. In this place, there is nothing to complain about. It is a perfect fit for me.”

Her spacious apartment is connected to the Canon Community Center, which provides all meals and multiple activities. Wine nights and musical entertainment on Sundays are some of her favorites.

Argentinian-born Robredo was a woman ahead of her time. Williamsburg has been her home since 1963, when she became an associate professor at the College of William & Mary. Back then, she was one of only a handful of female professors at the college, and she argued — and won — the fight for equal pay. She retired in 1995 and today is one of seven French Emeriti faculty.

“I love William and Mary,” says Robredo, who remembers most of the first names of her students and still keeps in touch with several of them. She loves to talk about French, enjoys languages and is an avid reader.

Robredo’s most passionate about spending time with her children, four sons, two of them twins who live nearby and two others who reside in Colorado.

Robredo doesn’t know what it is to be bored. 

“I have never been bored a day in my life,” she says. 

She refers to all of the Patriots Colony team members with affection. She’s appreciative of the woman who cleans her home weekly and of everyone else she crosses path with during her day.

At Patriots Colony, she says, “if I need something, all I have to do is ask.”