Pandemic distance brought some friends closer

Mary Gentry doesn’t like to use the word “retired.” The engineer, former federal banking executive, and now consultant was looking for ways to stay busy once the pandemic slowed her workflow and the lockdown ended her ability to host dinner parties or visit friends domestically and internationally. 

“Friendship has always been important to me,” she says. “My first friend from kindergarten and I are still in touch several times a year, even though we have had different paths. With time on my hands during the pandemic, I asked myself, ‘What is Cindy doing?’’”