Doris

Doris Befumo is more than a member at the Missoula Family YMCA. And after coming to the Y for 17 years, the community and friendships she’s forged mean the world to her.

“The Y is like a family to me. I know all the people who work here at this point, and they know me. And my whole life, my daily life, is wrapped around the Y—I don’t know what I would do if the Y wasn’t here.”

Doris has been a loyal member for quite some time, dating back to 1979 when she first joined the local YMCA in Honesdale, PA. She always made time for exercise, and said, “My husband and I lived in many different places, but wherever there was a Y, I joined.” So, when she moved to Missoula in 2004, it didn’t take long for her to become a regular at the Missoula Family YMCA.

Doris’s move to Missoula brought her closer to family, and she used their time at the Y to forge tighter relationships with her daughter-in-law and three grandsons. She remembers their family outings fondly— her daughter-in-law swimming laps and grandsons playing downstairs as she walked around the track. Since then, many things have changed in Doris’s life, but her place at the Y remains the same. “I don’t have much family here anymore—my grandsons have grown up and are leading their own lives, and my daughter-in-law is still here, thank goodness. But the biggest part of my family is here at the Y.”

Doris attributes much of her healthy body, mind and attitude to the Y. “I’m 90 years old, and I don’t feel it. I feel, most of the time, about 35. Once in a while I’ll have a day where I’ll feel 40 or 45, but certainly not 90. And I have the Y to thank for that.”

The Missoula Family YMCA wouldn’t be the same without members like Doris, who continues to brighten the day of every staff member she encounters on her Monday, Wednesday and Friday workouts.