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HAPPY AND JOYFUL

Nancy and Bill Douglas have had a successful life and marriage, recently celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. As faithful Christians, they believe that the greatest achievement and joy of their lives is “having raised three Christian children who have, in turn, raised five Christian grandchildren.”

Bill and Nancy moved with their dog “Chip” to Kirby Pines in November 2017 from Germantown, where they had lived their entire married life. They first met in 1957 when Nancy’s brother invited his friend Bill Douglas to their home to meet one of Nancy’s friends. Well, Nancy decided that she was “the one” for Bill. Nancy and Bill married on June 14, 1959.

Bill Douglas was born in Memphis in 1936. He attended Snowden Jr. and Central High Schools. He graduated from Memphis State University with a degree in Sales and Advertising and went to work immediately selling real estate. He first worked in sales of houses but later worked in commercial real estate selling such things as office buildings and hotels. Bill was recognized in “The Million Dollar Club” for having sold that amount in a year. He retired at age 65 after 42 years with Cooper Realty.

Nancy Pickering Douglas was born in Germantown in 1938. Nancy says she was blessed to be born into a Christian family. Being the only girl with two brothers, she became “a Daddy’s girl”. Her father’s premature death just weeks before her graduation from high school put Nancy into a deep depression for some time. Nancy attended Germantown High School and Memphis State University for one year. However, the non-academic world beckoned and so she was hired by MLG&W to work in the Records Department. When she “caught” Bill Douglas her life “took on a happy and joyful experience.”

Following their marriage, Bill and Nancy moved to Germantown. Their first son, William, was born 1 ½ years later. Sadly, 18 months later, an infant daughter, Elizabeth Ann, died after 3 days. “God needed her”, says Nancy but she experienced another period of depression with this loss. However, one year later, they were thrilled when their 2nd son, Joe, was born healthy and happy. They were equally thrilled when a daughter, Nancy Anne, was born 18 months later. Raising 3 children was a lively but pleasurable experience for Nancy. She says “The few bumps we had were easy to resolve”. Nancy, fortunately, was able to be “a stay at home mom” which allowed her to be involved in all the children’s activities, including the PTA. A testimony to Nancy’s loving role as a mother was presented to her on her 80th birthday. A book entitled “Making Memories” contained photos and quotes of love, appreciation and remembering fun times from her children, son and daughters-in-law and grandchildren. “We always had time for family vacations as well as just the two of us. Bill’s career afforded us the opportunity to have so many wonderful trips and interesting destinations”, says Nancy.

Although Nancy was busy as a homemaker she also was very involved in the Suburban Garden Club and Germantown Women’s Club. Bill became active in the Germantown Civic Club, the Optimist Club, Leadership Memphis, the Boy Scouts and served as President and Board Member of the Germantown Horse Show. Bill coached Little League, football and basketball, involving himself in all of his children’s activities. He also loved to fish, hunt and play golf in his “spare time”. At St. George’s Episcopal Church, Bill helped start the first Adult Bible Class, served on a committee to train and direct the Acolytes and was Chairman of the Ushers. Nancy and Bill are now members of Faith Anglican Church where Bill serves as an Usher and Nancy helps with Oblations.

Since moving to Kirby Pines, Bill has been involved in the Garden and Ham’ateur Clubs. In 2018, Bill and Nancy took on the role of Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus in the annual Christmas Eve Program at Kirby Pines. Nancy continues to play golf frequently. Most importantly, she has quietly assumed the role as a helper to many residents who need assistance. When Bill and Nancy moved to Kirby Pines, they became next-door neighbors to 99-year-old resident, Virginia Granger. Nancy says “Virginia became one of the best friends I ever had. We loved each other immediately. She truly blessed my life”. Unfortunately, Virginia’s recent death has left a big void in Nancy’s life.

However, both Bill and Nancy have stated that their lives continue to be blessed since moving to Kirby Pines. “This is a joyful time in our lives. We have met and feel so close to so many of the residents. Now, we have a much larger and wonderful family of beautiful people. We have always loved people and wanted to help others”, say Nancy and Bill. Because of their personalities and helping nature, Bill and Nancy Douglas are a wonderful “fit” for our Kirby Pines family and are an example for all of us.

Written by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines

A BLESSED LIFE

November is the month in which we as a nation pay special tribute to the veterans of the armed services and their families. We have many veterans who live at Kirby Pines and we are thankful every day for their sacrifices. This is the story of one of them, Dr. Thomas Hickey.

Tom has many titles: doctor, psychologist, professor, businessman, musician, father and veteran. He has had a full life with challenges and tragedies. But, in Tom’s words, “I have lived a blessed life”. Tom was born and grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas. According to Tom, “You knew everybody and had the opportunity to experiment with almost everything”. He enjoyed being able to walk to the movies, see a double feature for a dime and enjoy a bag of popcorn for a nickel. Since both parents worked, Tom was left in the care of the maid who basically allowed Tom to live as a “free spirit”. Tom wonders how he survived all the mishaps of his childhood, remembering at age 6 being dared to drop a match in a vacant field. The nearby houses nearly caught fire. Fearing the worst, Tom ran home and hid under the kitchen stove. His parents were able to convince him that bad deeds have consequences. He remained good friends with his childhood friends for many years.

Tom inherited his musical talents from both parents. His father played all musical instruments except strings. His mother, a contralto, was in demand as a soloist. At the age of 17, Tom was invited to play in the Arkansas Symphony. Following graduation from high school, Tom enrolled at Northwestern University to study music. However, he fell in love with a girl from Dallas and decided to transfer to SMU to work on a business degree. When he graduated with a BBA, the Korean War was going on and he enlisted in the Navy. He was selected to play in the Navy Band and spent 4 years in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Being in the band was demanding but also afforded Tom the opportunity to meet professional musicians as well as obtain free tickets to all events. In NYC he had encounters with such stars as Ethyl Merman and Judy Garland.

Tom wanted to marry but needed more income to support a family. He applied to OCS and was transferred to the Navy Supply Corps in Jacksonville, Florida. He married and had a son, James while stationed there.

Following discharge from the Navy, Tom moved with his family back to Jonesboro to take over his father’s advertising business. Becoming dissatisfied with a business life, he took advantage of the VA counseling services. They recommended a future in psychology. Tom took their advice and enrolled in psychology at Vanderbilt University, finishing with a PH.D in 4 years. Tom used this degree in several fields, first with a management consulting firm and later teaching at the University of Arkansas and Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was here “during a mid-life crisis” that Tom and his wife divorced. Tom moved to the VA Hospital in Little Rock as a psychologist. At the VA, he fell “madly in love” with his co-therapist, Sherry Faulkner. However a great offer was made to become the Clinical Director of East Arkansas Mental Health Center. Tom accepted and moved to West Memphis, AR. While there, he served as President of the Arkansas Psychological Association and had the opportunity to introduce Bill Clinton at one of their meetings. In 1976, after 5 years of long range dating, Tom and Sherry married.

Following the cut of funds and closures of mental health centers, Tom was again seeking employment. An opportunity became available with the Memphis Police Department as they were seeking someone to set up psychological services. Of this, Tom says, “I never thought I would like working with cops so much, but they are a great bunch of guys. I did a little bit of everything from consulting with the Chiefs, counseled officers and their families, screen-tested new applicants, did crisis intervention and talked people down off the bridge. It was never dull”. In 1979, Tom’s son James was killed by a drunk driver and in 2016, on their 40th wedding anniversary, Tom’s wife Sherry died of ovarian cancer.

After retirement from the MPD, Tom became tired of living along and because he could not cook, investigated several retirement facilities. He chose Kirby Pines. “I made the right choice”, says Tom. Presently, Tom has 2 step-daughters who live nearby, 6 grandchildren (1 deceased) and 4 great-grandchildren. Tragedy struck again when Tom’s oldest grandchild, a grandson, died while running a marathon in Memphis. He had just graduated from law school and was looking forward to a clerkship with a Federal Appellate Judge.

Tom enjoys playing golf, bridge, poker, ping pong, trivia and especially his music. He continues to take saxophone lessons in Jazz. He plays the saxophone with The Memphis Wind Symphony and clarinet with Santifica, the band at St. George Episcopal Church and has entertained with both instruments at Kirby Pines. Also, Tom says, “I love to travel and have traveled extensively to all 50 states, Europe and South America. I continued to do testing for small police departments and security firms after my retirement from MPD but gave that up so I could travel”.

Thank you Tom for your service to our country, to our police department and for your decision to move to Kirby Pines. You have enriched our lives with your beautiful music and your warm and generous personality. We are blessed to have you at Kirby Pines!

Written by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines

A Ray of Sunshine

Roll out the welcome mat! This is the current mantra of Barbara Logan. Although she says Kirby Pines is a friendly place, she would like to see more visiting and socializing in each other’s homes. “I think our homes offer an opportunity to really get to know each other better and to form special friendships”, says Barbara. To know Barbara is to feel that optimism and joy radiating from her. Perhaps this stems primarily from her strong faith in God. She currently worships with Germantown Presbyterian Church.

Barbara moved to Kirby Pines from Colorado Springs in 2016. She chose Kirby Pines over other places because of the “happy atmosphere” and the numerous opportunities to interact with other residents. Barbara quickly entrenched herself into all things Kirby and has formed many friendships. One of her friends said, “I was drawn to Barbara because she is always positive and I love her infectious laugh! Overall, she is a very fun friend”. When Barbara was asked what she liked most about living at Kirby, she replied, “I like Kirby because it is a happy place and I appreciate the excellent medical care I receive here”.

Certainly, many of Barbara’s characteristics were formed from her childhood. Born in a small town in Louisiana, life was hard but idyllic. Summers were spent climbing trees, riding bicycles and horses (bareback) and using her imagination to make up games to include as many children as possible. She recalls being talked into eating a green persimmon. One time was enough! Because both her father and mother were teachers/principals, there was no income during the summer months. Life was sustained with the family garden and a tight budget.

At the age of eleven, Barbara, along with her parents and younger sister, Elizabeth, moved to Ruston, Louisiana. It was here, at Louisiana Tech, Barbara graduated with a B.S. in Education and met the love of her life, Jim Logan, an art major. After marriage, their first move was to Nashville where Jim had a scholarship to the prestigious Vanderbilt George Peabody College. After graduation, Jim joined the U.S. Air Force.

Eventually, after living in various places, including outside the states, the family moved to Colorado Springs for Jim to serve at the Air Force Academy. Barbara always taught school wherever they lived, introducing her to a variety of challenges. During the midst of all this, two children, Whit and Cheryl, were added to the family. Barbara earned a Masters from University of Colorado while the youngest child was in college. Barbara is now grandmother to five grandchildren.

Barbara retired from teaching after 35 years. Her husband, Jim, retired after 20 years in the Air Force. “Just for the fun of it and because Jim was such an excellent watercolorist, we decided to open an art gallery”, says Barbara. While Jim painted all day, Barbara ran the gallery. “It was certainly a learning experience but fun”. Sadly, Jim passed away in 2000. Barbara continued living in Colorado until her move to Memphis and Kirby Pines. Her daughter lives close by in Collierville.

Barbara’s life has been very active. Living in various places and traveling the world has made her appreciate what she has. Life was never dull, from attending the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, surviving five typhoons while living in Guam, becoming rabid tiger fans of LSU, jeeping in the jungles of Panama and the mountains of Colorado. She also fondly recalls entertaining 76 USAF officers and wives as well as having private showings of Jim’s paintings in their home. While in Guam, they hosted a student from Kusaie so he could obtain a high school diploma.

Of this, Barbara says, “Through this active life that we have lived as a family, we were so blessed with being able to find churches and groups of believers that helped us mature and realize the significance of our belief in Jesus Christ and the many times we have been rescued by a loving God.”

Barbara’s hobbies are reading, needlepoint, baking and having friends in for fun and fellowship. One of her needlepoint pieces of the nativity scene is beautifully framed and displayed in her home. She is certainly faithful in sending notes to others to thank them or to encourage them.

Hopefully, we can learn a lesson from Barbara – that our outlook on life is our own choosing and not the responsibility of others. We are so fortunate at Kirby Pines to have someone like Barbara who sets an example of sharing, service and hospitality.

Written by Joan Dodson, Resident, Kirby Pines