Kathleen Woehrling
The arc of Kathleen Woehrling’s interesting life runs from Maynard, Mass., to Belgium, and back to Wayland, and includes important connections from France, Chile, Burundi, and Guatemala. Her four adult children live in Scotland, England, Belgium, and Texas. Wayland residents are fortunate that Kathleen – SHINE counselor extraordinaire -- calls Wayland home.
The older of two daughters born in Maynard to a mill worker and homemaker, Kathleen received a scholarship to Michigan State University. This big step away from home launched her into a lifetime of travel and adventure. A political science major, she combined her understanding of global issues with a desire to help others, and has opened her doors throughout her life to those in need.
“I went to France for my junior year abroad,” she recalls, “where we were supposed to learn French.” As it turned out, she got an education of a different kind. “My friend and I got there several weeks early, so we decided to go hitchhiking through Europe.” A few weeks turned into a few months. “It was the ‘60s, and it was safe. People were so generous with rides, or they’d buy us lunch, or take us in. We met so many people in youth hostels, and saw so many beautiful places.” Eventually her friend left – “her father made her come home” – but Kathleen kept traveling. She slept on the boat that took her to the Greek island of Corfu, and on the roof of a hotel in Athens where she had “the most stunning view of the Acropolis.”
Belgium Beckons
Returning to Michigan State after this expansive European adventure, it’s not surprising that Kathleen met and fell in love with Francis Woehrling, a French graduate student who was there on a Fulbright Scholarship studying economics. “He was from Alsace, and spoke German, French and Italian.”
Married in 1966, they moved to Washington, D.C. where Francis worked at the International Monetary Fund and Kathleen enrolled at George Washington University to get her Master’s Degree in political science. “I was the first female teaching assistant in the department,” she says. Their first child was born there, and Kathleen was working toward her PhD and expecting their second child when Francis was offered a job in Brussels at the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. Off they went in 1972, for what would turn out to be nearly 30 years.
Opening Their Home and Hearts
“We bought a big old house there, with no electricity, no heat, no plumbing, but with big, beautiful windows,” Kathleen recounts. “I supervised the renovation.” That big house with seven bedrooms became their home, and also a haven for Chilean refugees resettling in Belgium. “There was a coup d’etat in Chile in 1973, and Belgium took in a lot of political refugees. We took in families for several years, and grew very close to some of them. Belgium was very welcoming, and we had the room.”
Having looked into adoption some years earlier, Kathleen and Francis were contacted by an agency about a 12-year-old girl from Burundi, Africa; she was one of the last two residents in a Belgian orphanage. “She came during school vacation to stay with us,” says Kathleen. Reluctant at first, by the end of her stay the girl did not want to leave. “She became part of our family,” says Kathleen. One more child born to Kathleen and Francis completed the family of six.
A New Career Path
In 1979, the family moved back to Lincoln, Mass. for a sabbatical year that Francis spent at Harvard University. “I did some volunteer work at Emerson Hospital with outpatients from the psych unit,” says Kathleen, “and got interested in studying psychology.” She took some courses through Emerson and Harvard, and on returning to Belgium, enrolled in a graduate program and completed her Masters in psychology.
For about ten years, Kathleen worked at Belgium’s equivalent to a community health center, on a team of physicians, social workers and other professionals offering counseling and care. At the same time, she ran the local office for Experiment in International Living, a program that prepared and sent au pairs to the US to live with American families and care for their children.
In 1999, Francis retired at the mandatory age of 65. Kathleen’s mother, still in Maynard, needed support, and it was time to return. They settled in Wayland. In retirement, Francis read widely, and wrote articles for professional journals. “He was instrumental in the development of the Euro, and got to see that work come to fruition before he died in 2018,” says Kathleen.
Still Serving, Still Learning
These days, Kathleen teaches water exercise classes at Longfellow Sports – “It’s important to keep moving, and I love being in the water” – and is a highly sought-after SHINE counselor at the Wayland Council on Aging. SHINE – Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone on Medicare – is a federal program that trains volunteers to help clients sort through the often bewildering maze of supplemental health insurance options. During her mother’s final years, Kathleen struggled to make sure her care was covered. She met with a SHINE counselor who helped, and was inspired to become one herself.
Kathleen’s Wayland home also has big, beautiful windows, through which she can watch wildlife visit a stream that runs just in front. And her home is still a haven for those in need. “There was a Guatemalan refugee family living in Lincoln in one room with no kitchen, and the place was going to be sold. Someone called me to see if I might have room for them.” The mother and three children have been living in Kathleen’s house for about a year, while they wait for housing. “They are a lovely family,” she says. “I wish more people could see that it can be a great experience to have someone from another culture living with you. You can learn so much.”