Feisty.  Caring.  Resourceful.  Gentle.  Conscientious.  These are just some of the adjectives that people use to describe Joan Matula, who will turn 90 on February 19.  "This is a woman to be reckoned with," said Patrick Stewart, who has known and worked with Joan for over a decade.  "In every meeting with her, she makes some cogent remark that people pay attention to.  If she has an opinion about something, she lets it be known.  Truth be told, they don't make them like that anymore."

Born and raised in Greenwich Village, Joan was the youngest of fourteen children.  Some of the older siblings had been born in Italy and had died.  "I grew up with six others and was very spoiled," she said. "My mother ran a restaurant in Staten Island and my father just went along.  My mother was the boss, the cook, everything.  I had a happy childhood and went to school on Varick Street.  I think my school was PS 38."  In high school, Joan studied "a little bit of everything."  Skipping college, she began working for the City of New York.

In 1947, Joan married Dominick Matula, whom she described as "a very handsome man but a poor provider."  Dominick ran a barber shop in Manhattan.  "We had a son two years after the marriage and, from then on, my son John became the focus of my existence," said Joan.  "I raised him pretty much on my own and worked two jobs to send him to college.  He became a private investigator," she said proudly.

Joan reeled off his phone number without blinking an eye, but could not tell where he lived.  "It is a funny-sounding place," she said as she looked up her address-book.  "Hmm, Nassau.  Isn't that funny-sounding?"

Joan said her son encouraged her to try out new things.  In order to get a job at Goldwater Hospital, she needed to show her proficiency in typing.  John rented a typewriter for her and, at the age of 50, Joan learned how to type.  "John was away in the army for a short while and I used to send him typewritten letters," recalled Joan.  "His friends asked him if I was a businesswoman and he replied 'No, she is learning to type.' Anyway, I got the job at the hospital and that is how I got to know about Roosevelt Island.  I worked at the hospital for over a decade and then retired at 65. That's when I moved to the Island.  I was the first person to move into my building – 546."

Joan found a new vocation after her retirement from Goldwater Hospital.  She busied herself in founding the Roosevelt Island Senior Association, RISA, using her culinary skills to full advantage in raising money for the program.  "I held the first meeting for RISA in the Chapel in 1976.  I organized and cooked for fund-raising brunches.  I ran flea markets.  I organized bingo games.  I cooked over 300 frankfurters for sale.  I ran a bakery.  I ran a knitting class and sold the things people made.  Oh, I did a lot," said Joan.  That year she managed to raise $2,604, a sum that became the first budget in 1977 when RISA was officially certified by the City's Department of Aging.  "Joan was tremendous," said Helen Roht, a friend who worked as a volunteer at RISA for the first decade of its existence.  "Some people complained that she was bossy, but she got things done."

"Today, people don't want to work," said Joan.  "There is a different breed who expects things to be done for them.  I ran the lunch program for 220 seniors and worked as a volunteer.  Now, people want to be paid for the job.  I washed the uniforms of the Little League group.  I doubt anyone would do that now.  People should try to be more active.  That is the reason why I like young people.  This used to be a joke at the Trellis when I was asked what I would like to have.  I would go in and order two men, 35 years old each," said Joan with a laugh.

Her own activities have been curtailed in the past few years and, clearly, she misses her freedom.  "I can't go out like I used to.  I had a car that I drove until five years ago.  My son forced me to stop.  He said there were too many crazy people on the road.  It broke my heart.  Now, I read a lot. I love mysteries.  I watch television.  I like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?  I also watch a lot of movies.  One advantage of my age is that the video store has given me free membership."

John bought her a computer last year and she was nonplussed, never having used one before.  "John said I should fool around with it and I actually managed to learn how to e-mail.  I bought books and taught myself, so now I exchange e-mails with my three grandchildren and RISA friends."

Joan's bag of memories contains her first trip on the Tram, a big party when the cherry trees were put in the Cherry Tree Row and the fact that there was only one pupil at the public school.  "They had to call a teacher just to teach that one student," said Joan.  "Things were different back then and I wish the Island had not changed so much.  We didn't have much but we enjoyed what we had.  It was much safer in the old days.  Kids were mischievous, but they didn't do drugs and beat anyone up.  I remember that some boys would ring my doorbell and run away.  Once, I was cooking spaghetti and, when the doorbell rang, I saw a boy run away.  I chased him down the hallway with my pitchfork.  Years later, a handsome young man came to me and said hello.  I asked him if I knew him and he said, 'Yes, you chased me with a pitchfork.' I asked him if he had become a good boy since then and he said he had."

Joan has touched the lives of all the people she has interacted with in her years on the Island.  Dolores Green, the President of RISA, says, "Joan's energy at her age is what impresses me most.  She treats RISA as her family and feels for them.  All of us hope to reach 90 and be as good as Joan at that age."  Ruth Kolins, a friend for the past 24 years, said that Joan is very reliable.  "When she starts a project, she puts her heart and soul into it.  She is still willing to do the best for the community," said Ruth.  "She is a remarkable woman and a great lover of life.  She is a wonderful dancer and will do a samba for you if you don't watch out," said Helen.  "She plans well and can cook a lasagna better than anyone else in the world."

Joan admits that she is not as active in planning events anymore.  "I began to feel tired at 89," she said.  But she is planning for her 90th birthday party.  "I already have a list of 100 people.  I am finding it difficult to exclude anyone because all the people I know here are part of my family. When I walk on the street, I know everyone.  I thought I would be strict and invite just those people I know.

"But then I know everyone," said Joan with a chuckle.