Resident’s efforts brighten Knightsville Manor

Posted 9/2/15

Luisa McCaghren is a great neighbor. Over the past two years she has been changing the landscape (literally) at Knightsville Manor, and the other 185 residents applaud her efforts.

A designer by …

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Resident’s efforts brighten Knightsville Manor

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Luisa McCaghren is a great neighbor. Over the past two years she has been changing the landscape (literally) at Knightsville Manor, and the other 185 residents applaud her efforts.

A designer by trade, McCaghren noticed a large empty stone planter by the gazebo on the Knightsville grounds and asked the Housing Authority if they minded if she maintained it. Each morning she can be found weeding the beds and in the evening, watering them down. She purchases all the annuals, perennials, fertilizer and gardening supplies on her own as “it gives her such joy to work in the dirt.” Born on the Isle of Capri, she was surrounded by gardens in her youth and learned a lot about plantings from her brothers, who both became landscapers. It makes her new residence feel a bit more like home.

“Getting older is inevitable, aging is a prerogative,” said McCaghren, who is very shy about being in the limelight. “I find such joy in doing the unexpected and when the flowers bloom, it changes the entire space. Each year I find new colors and new flowers to brighten up the planter.”

The residents and the maintenance team appreciate her touches, which include adding colorful artworks to the Community Room. Tom Horan and John Benchsky both sing her praises noting that she single-handedly transformed a rarely used space in the Manor into a popular spot to read and eat lunch in the fresh air. “Luisa is as genuine as they come, who is constantly thinking of others. It is remarkable how one person can truly change the mood and culture within a housing complex – and Luisa is that person.”

Married to a commander in the Navy, McCaghren lived in 13 states before settling down in Cranston, Rhode Island. A mother of three and grandmother of six, she is an engaged member of the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center.

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