In September, we reflected on the past thirty-six years of Kirby Pines, and expressed our thankfulness for the “path” taken to make Kirby Pines, what so many refer to as “the best retirement community in Memphis”. In fact, Kirby Pines was once again selected by the readers of the Commercial Appeal as “THE BEST Retirement Community” for the thirteenth consecutive year in the tristate area; and by the Memphis Business Journal as The TOP Retirement Community for the tenth consecutive year.
Of course, these awards of recognition would not be possible if it weren’t for the individuals who live and work at Kirby Pines. And what better way to begin the month, than by acknowledging the International Day of the Older Person, October 1st. Designated by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1990, all countries are encouraged to enable men and women to age with dignity and to integrate aging issues into everyday life. Kirby Pines is a daily example of doing just this.
This month we also celebrate: October 2nd, National Custodial Worker’s Day – a day when we should all make an effort to thank the men and women in our housekeeping and laundry department for the hard work they do for us each day; October 4-10th is National Health Care Food Service Week, these dedicated employees are an essential part of our integrated services; October 20-26th is National Pastoral Care week, and we should all make time to thank our Chaplin, Don Johnson, and the numerous residents that coordinate such activities as our Men’s Bible Study group and Thursday night Vespers.
Please join me in thanking these many individuals for the time they dedicate to make a difference in our life. You can join this amazing group on October 26th, which is Make a Difference Day. After all, we all have the ability to do something small that makes a difference.
Michael Escamilla,
Executive Director,
Kirby Pines
David Jordan has some intriguing thoughts to share. He says, “The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going.” This applies to those who learn where they are going late in life as well as for the young. At age 53, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first female Prime Minister. At 64, Francis Chichester sailed alone around the world in a 53 foot yacht. At 65, Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister for the first time and started the epic struggle against Hitler. At 72, Golda Meir became Prime Minister of Israel. At 75, Ed Delano of California bicycled 3100 miles in 33 days to attend his 50th college reunion in Worchester, Massachusetts. At 76, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli became Pope John XXIII and started changes in his church. At 80, Grandma Moses, who started painting in her late 70’s, had her first one-woman exhibit. At 81, Benjamin Franklin skillfully mediated between disagreeing factions at the U. S. Constitutional Convention. At 80, Winston Churchill returned to the House of Commons as a member of Parliament and also exhibited 62 of his paintings. At 99, CD Madsen scored his very first hole-in-one from 108 yards at Marin Country Club in Novato, California. On his 100th birthday, ragtime pianist Eubie Blake exclaimed, ‘If I had known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”
How inspiring to so many of us who are living long and looking for where we are going with the remaining years. If it seems you know where you’re going the world will step aside to let you pass to your goal.
In an interview with Fox News, Wink Martindale, now 85, former Memphis radio and TV star who became known and successful nationally, was asked what motivated him to pursue a lifetime in Television and Media said, “It was what I heard Art Linkletter say when asked when he was going to retire. Linkletter answered, “Retire…from what. I’m not tired.” That should motivate us too.
I’ve know where I was going since my early youth. I know where I’m ultimately going, just as many of you do. My goal in these later years of my life is expressed in II Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” It keeps getting better!
Till next time,
Don Johnson, Chaplain of Kirby Pines
A 50-year marriage, a unified faith in God and a desire to help others. Such describes Mary Ann and Roy Thurmond. Additionally, their philosophy of life is that relationships are more important than “the doings.” Yet, when one examines a short biography of their lives, the perfect blend of both of these elements emerge.
Mary Ann Faris grew up in Conway, Arkansas, where her father was a professor at Hendrix College, as well as a renowned author and photographer. Her mother, an elementary school teacher, wrote the scripts to accompany her father’s photographs. Together, they appeared in several national publications such as LIFE Magazine and The New York Times. When Mary Ann was 8 years old, her father was invited to photograph an art exhibit at Rohwer, one of the 10 internment camps set up to confine Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The photographs were published in a book, Beauty Behind Barbed Wire. Mary Ann continues today, along with her brother Tim, to share these photos through a traveling exhibit, compiled by an Arkansas State University history professor. The exhibit has been shown in several locations, including the Presidio in California and was written up in Memphis Magazine in March, 2017 when being on view at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Because of her parents’ influence, Mary Ann grew up with her own interest in writing and photography. She dedicated her life to Christ at a camp revival on Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas at age 11.
Following graduation from Hendrix, Mary Ann held several positions with the Baptist Hospital System, first in Little Rock and later in Memphis. While working as Student Activities Director at Baptist School of Nursing, she had the opportunity to chaperone 3 planeloads of students who sang at various functions during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. She later accompanied 5 students to Berne, Switzerland for a Baptist Youth Conference. Mary Ann’s other employment included 5 years on the staff of Christ United Methodist Church and then as Administrative Manager/Partner for 30 years with a management consulting firm.
Mary Ann, who was still single at age 31, met Roy in 1968, a year following the death of his wife Alice who died at age 30. He was left with 2 small children, a boy and a girl, ages 1 and 3. Mary Ann and Roy dated only 3 ½ weeks before deciding to marry, surprising her parents who would then become sudden grandparents! Together they had another child, a daughter, and 50 years later, the 3 Thurmond children are all grown and living out-of-state. There are now 3 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren and 5 step-great-grandchildren.
Roy was born in his grandmother’s home in Columbus, Georgia. He has one sister, Reba, living in West Virginia. His mother was a seamstress and his father was treasurer of a textile mill. His father brought metal scraps home and made such things as wagons and even a roller coaster for their back yard. He spent his childhood playing football and basketball in backyards and on dirt courts. His height proved to be a real plus in helping his school win several championships in basketball. At the age of 11, Roy and his sister attended a church revival and dedicated their lives to Christ.
Roy attended Georgia Tech, majoring in civil engineering, but later transferring to management. Following graduation, Roy went into the Army National Guard for 6 months of active duty and then married his college sweetheart Alice. They moved to North Carolina where Roy worked at Burlington Industries as an accountant. Roy was active in the Jaycees, volunteering when they sponsored the Greater Greensboro golf tournaments. He also earned a CPA designation and moved his family to Memphis. Here he worked for an accounting firm and Union Planters Bank. Roy finished his professional career by working as a certified financial planner for J. H. Shoemaker and Co. for 25 years.
Roy’s love for bike riding has taken him on eleven 150-mile Multiple Sclerosis benefit rides, plus riding across 3 states. Following in his father’s footsteps, Roy became a “man of all trades” – able to fix almost anything. He has always loved helping people, even starting a ministry at their church called Helping Hands.
All through their marriage, Mary Ann and Roy have focused their energies around activities of their church, Christ United Methodist. Just a few highlights include Mary Ann’s being active in United Methodist Women and serving as President, Secretary, and email correspondent of the Lamplighter S.S. class. Roy, likewise is very active and enjoys ushering, as well. He participated on a Methodist District Disaster Response team. Their motto was “Have chain saw, will travel,” as they took tractors and their saws to clear devastated areas following severe storms.
So, what is next for this couple? Roy loves woodworking and repairing items. (Watch out, Roy, you are about to be bombarded with new friends!) Mary Ann loves growing flowers, learning Mahjong, line dancing, and writing; and, of course, working with her father’s photographs and continuing with the Rohwer story.
The Thurmonds feel strongly that God has a purpose for their lives and they know that fulfillment comes from that commitment. Kirby Pines has become their new home and they are very happy here, surrounded by such wonderful caring people and staff. A favorite quote of Mary Ann’s is “When a butterfly flaps its wings in South America, it affects the weather in Florida.” This means, according to Mary Ann, that we are all connected in some way and our actions, no matter how small, make a difference! She further states that “We have a deep gratitude for our past relationships and for our new ones here! God has blessed us to live among you, doing life together – and those are the ‘doings’ that count!”
As we age, staying limber and flexible becomes more and more important. Flexibility helps us increase our range of motion so we can easily complete everyday tasks like bending down to tie your shoes or reaching to get a dish from a shelf. This is where stretching exercises for seniors come into play; daily stretching can help improve your flexibility and athleticism, decrease the amount of energy you need to complete a movement, and most importantly, help prevent injury.
Staying physically active as you age is key to a better overall quality of life. Exercise helps keep our bones strong and our backs straighter can help delay the onset of certain diseases like diabetes, relieves the pain you feel from arthritis, improves your mood and mental health, and is essential in fall prevention. It’s never too late to add physical activity into your daily routine! If you’re already exercising on a regular basis, it’s important that you’re taking the time to properly stretch your muscles, too. Stretching will help loosen your joints by activating the fluids within them, which helps reduce damage caused by friction. Stretching will also help lengthen your muscles, and when a muscle is short or tight you’re much more susceptible to injury. Once you add stretching into your workout routine, you’ll notice the results quickly.
Add stretching exercises for flexibility into your workout routine by following these tips:
Warm up before stretching. A warm up before stretching can be done easily with some light weights or a quick walk. Your muscles need to be warmed up before you start stretching to help you avoid injury.
Take your time. Ease yourself slowly into the stretch. You should feel a mild pulling in your muscles, but it shouldn’t be painful. A stabbing pain is a sign that you’re stretching too far. If you’re new to stretching exercises, remember that it will take some time for those muscles to loosen up.
Relax and breathe. Never hold your breath while stretching. Breathe into the movement, carefully pushing yourself a bit farther with each breath.
Take note of your spine. Be aware of the position of your spine. Don’t let it curve too far as this can make you vulnerable to an injury. Keep your back and joints soft, never locked into position.
No bouncing. Don’t bounce into a stretch to try to make yourself reach farther. Use steady movements instead of jerking movements to ease into the stretch, as those quicker movements can actually cause the muscles to tighten instead of loosen!
Hold that stretch. Give yourself at least 30 seconds in each stretching position to allow enough time for the muscle to elongate. Breathe, repeat, and try to stretch slightly farther the next time
Are you ready to start walking for fitness? Follow these fitness tips to help you be successful. Walking is good medicine for any age, especially folks with arthritis. Walking has been proven to help with weight loss, stress control, increasing strength, and balance, as well as reducing pain. To improve your chances of success, try these five walking strategies:
Find a walking buddy. To maintain your program find someone to walk with. A walking buddy adds accountability and safety.
Make a walking date with your spouse. It could even be your four-legged best friend.
Join a walking group. (Walk with Ease program starts here at Kirby Pines in September).
Schedule your walks like you would a doctor’s appointment on your busy calendar.
Add variety to your walk. Don’t let it become routine. Take a different route at a different time of day. Pay attention to the wildlife and flowers. Walk with music to keep in step.
Get good shoes. The only equipment you really need for walking is the right pair of shoes. Look for deep and wide shoe forms made of cloth or smooth leather that are not so tight as to not rub your skin. A good quality running shoe is best. (You can walk in running shoes, but you can’t run in walking shoes). Select shoes without thick treads to prevent catching the bottom of your foot. Make sure shoes are proper width and roomy. Wear high-top athletic shoes for weak ankles. Flexible shoes help reduce stress on the knee while walking
Keep a Record. Record your accomplishments in a journal or calendar. Keeping track of how far, long, when and where you walk can be a real motivator. Begin with an attainable goal like 10 minutes for 3 days each week, then add 5 minutes to each walk the next week, and change your goals as you meet them. A pedometer or walking app on your phone or ”Fitbit” can be a real motivator. Post your accomplishments where you can see them and remember to reward yourself when you meet your goals with a purchase or event. (Avoid using food as a reward)
Throw out the excuses. The first excuse for not exercising is lack of time. If walking is made a priority, people can find the time. Other barriers like bad weather can be solved by walking the halls of Kirby or using the treadmill in the Oasis. If tiredness or achy joints are the problem, be determined to walk; just walk a shorter easier route. Even a 5-minute walk is better than no walk and may even give you energy to go longer. Have a backup plan, if you can’t walk on your usual schedule, make a plan B and reschedule. The more you walk, the more energy and strength you have and feel like walking.
Speaking of walking—Would you like to begin a walking program? If you can you walk at least ten minutes and desire to improve your overall health and well-being, the Arthritis Foundation Walk with Ease Program will teach you how to safely make physical activity part of your everyday life. Walk with Ease offers support, information and tools to help you succeed. We will look at improving our posture and our gait. Balance and endurance are emphasized as well as making friends and learning our way around the hallways. Classes will begin September 17th for nine weeks meeting twice each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Arts & Crafts room at 1:30 and led by Mary Hand who is a trained Arthritis Foundation walking leader. Each meeting begins with a short discussion covering a topic related to exercise or arthritis, followed by a 10- to 40-minute walk that includes a warm-up and cool-down, stretches, and take home exercises that will build strength for walking. We will begin walking inside and with good weather, walking outside will be an option. The program will include a very helpful guidebook, lots of surprises, good camaraderie and special encouragements along the way. For newcomers to Kirby Pines, it’s a great way to meet your neighbors and learn your way around. We are especially looking for people who want to begin an exercise program, as well as graduates of the program who are always welcomed back and encouraged to bring a friend. Contact Life Enhancement Department or sign up in the Oasis.
September is always special at Kirby Pines. It is the month we celebrate our anniversary as a community. We come together to remember those before us during our Annual Lighting of the Lake ceremony and we enjoy the changing of the weather and our beautiful campus.
It is also a time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Join our Walk with Ease program, beginning the 17th with our Oasis Coordinator, Mary Hand. Head to our Medical Clinic for your annual Flu Shot on the 26th and 27th. Exercise your right to vote early in the City of Memphis’ Municipal Election on the 16th and 17th.
Another thing that makes September special is the start of the college football season. Kirby Pines residents are from all over the country, with a majority from Memphis, who love their University. Therefore, our front cover features Rhetta and Bill Watkins playing around at The Liberty Bowl, Home of the Memphis Tigers. For the back, we asked “Who You Rootin’ For?” and ended up with a crowd! Our fans are from Florida: Carolyn Lifland; UT: Jim & Lois Dazey, Sylvia Statham, John & JoAnn Ginn; Memphis: Marilyn Wray, Faye Betts, Liz Collier, Alice Wherry, Marilyn McCormick, Sheryl Maxwell, Peggy Gatlin, Pat Cavender, Mark Maxwell, Shirley Anderson, Alma Crone, Gene Wainscott and Rhetta & Bill Watkins; Ole Miss: Jean Mauney; Alabama: Berry & Betty Terry, Mal Mauney and George Courington; Mississippi State: David Spell and Charlie Gatlin. We hope all of your teams do well and thank you for showing off your team spirit!
The month of September is significant to many people for many different reasons. September marks the beginning of the school year, so for many of our retired teachers living here at Kirby Pines, it is a time to reflect back on the years of service they gave to so many students. For others, September signifies the end of summer and the last national holiday (Labor Day) until Thanksgiving. September is filled with individual birthdays, wedding and move-in anniversaries into Kirby Pines Estates. September for Kirby Pines is significant because it is the month we celebrate our anniversary.
Thirty-six years of service to older adults is truly a feat that could not have happened without the support of residents and their families, employees and our Board of Directors. These four groups make up the team that allows Kirby Pines to rank among the largest and more successful life care retirement communities in the country. To celebrate this thirty-sixth anniversary, much work and effort will be put into this year’s Lighting of the Lake ceremony. Each year a theme and color is selected, and this year the theme is Path, and the color is Turmeric. So make your plans now to join us for this celebration on Saturday, September 14th for the food and company that follows the event, and most importantly for the start of another great year at Kirby Pines Estates.
Michael Escamilla,
Executive Director,
Kirby Pines
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down… It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in their papers. That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered. “I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked me so much,” were most of the comments. No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature. The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you Mark’s math teacher?” he asked….. She nodded: “yes”‘ Then he said: “Mark talked about you a lot.” After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher. “We want to show you something,” his father said , taking a wallet out of his pocket. “They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.” Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him.
“Thank you so much for doing that,”‘ Mark’s mother said. “As you can see, Mark treasured it.” All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, “I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.” Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.” “I have mine too,” Marilyn said. “It’s in my diary”. Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. “I carry this with me at all times,” Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: “I think we all saved our lists.” That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried.
She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. Her list of long ago was such a simple thing, but it accomplished so much.
You and I could start our list of friends and family. We could write something kind and truthful about them. And we could get the list to them. Let’s do it now, while there’s time before the opportunity passes. Let’s tell those we love how very special and important they are. Let’s do it now.
Till next time,
Don Johnson, Chaplain, Kirby Pines
On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (1930-) became the first humans ever to land on the moon. About six-and-a-half hours later, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. As he took his first step, Armstrong famously said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The Apollo 11 mission occurred eight years after President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Apollo 17, the final manned moon mission, took place in 1972.
JFK’s Pledge Leads to Start of Apollo Program
The American effort to send astronauts to the moon had its origins in an appeal President Kennedy made to a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.”
At the time, the United States was still trailing the Soviet Union in space developments, and Cold War-era America welcomed Kennedy’s bold proposal. In 1966, after five years of work by an international team of scientists and engineers, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted the first unmanned Apollo mission, testing the structural integrity of the proposed launch vehicle and spacecraft combination.
Then, on January 27, 1967, tragedy struck at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when a fire broke out during a manned launchpad test of the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn rocket. Three astronauts were killed in the fire.
Despite the setback, NASA and its thousands of employees forged ahead, and in October 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, orbited Earth and successfully tested many of the sophisticated systems needed to conduct a moon journey and landing.
In December of the same year, Apollo 8 took three astronauts to the dark side of the moon and back, and in March 1969 Apollo 9 tested the lunar module for the first time while in Earth orbit. That May, the three astronauts of Apollo 10 took the first complete Apollo spacecraft around the moon in a dry run for the scheduled July landing mission.
Timeline of the 1969 Moon Landing
At 9:32 a.m. EDT on July 16, with the world watching, Apollo 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (1930-) aboard. Armstrong, a 38-year-old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission. After traveling 240,000 miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July 19. The next day, at 1:46 p.m., the lunar module Eagle, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from the command module, where Collins remained. Two hours later, the Eagle began its descent to the lunar surface, and at 4:17 p.m. the craft touched down on the southwestern edge of the Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, a now-famous message: “The Eagle has landed.”
At 10:39 p.m., five hours ahead of the original schedule, Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module. As he made his way down the module’s ladder, a television camera attached to the craft recorded his progress and beamed the signal back to Earth, where hundreds of millions watched in great anticipation.
At 10:56 p.m., as Armstrong stepped off the ladder and planted his foot on the moon’s powdery surface, he spoke his famous quote, which he later contended was slightly garbled by his microphone and meant to be “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Aldrin joined him on the moon’s surface 19 minutes later, and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, ran a few simple scientific tests and spoke with President Richard Nixon (1913-94) via Houston.
By 1:11 a.m. on July 21, both astronauts were back in the lunar module and the hatch was closed. The two men slept that night on the surface of the moon, and at 1:54 p.m. the Eagle began its ascent back to the command module. Among the items left on the surface of the moon was a plaque that read: “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon—July 1969 A.D.—We came in peace for all mankind.”
At 5:35 p.m., Armstrong and Aldrin successfully docked and rejoined Collins, and at 12:56 a.m. on July 22 Apollo 11 began its journey home, safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at 12:50 p.m. on July 24.
Janet Gail Lawson was born September 24, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan to Leighton and Jewell Lawson. She was the middle child of three girls. Her father owned three Mobil Oil stations and did quite well for the family when at the age of 37, he decided to become a full-time minister.
He enrolled in Freed-Hardeman College in Henderson, Tennessee, when Janet was five. After that, the family moved every few years, from Henderson to West Helena, Arkansas to Clinton, Oklahoma. The family eventually ended up in Memphis, where Janet enrolled at Treadwell High School. Though she was not thrilled with the move, things got easier when she got to sing in the senior choir as a freshman and met a cute senior named Gerald Reeves.
Gerald Lee Reeves was an only child, born February 7, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee to Mattie Clarice and Edgar Reeves. His father worked for the Ford Tractor Company. Once Gerald was in high school at Treadwell, he became a frequent visitor at the Lawson home, which made Janet’s father a bit uneasy. It was decided that she would attend Harding Academy in Searcy, Arkansas her senior year. Gerald kept the spark alive, however, by driving to Searcy every other weekend to visit.
After graduation in 1954 from Treadwell, Gerald joined the Marines serving two years active duty and six years in the reserves. Janet transferred to Memphis State to take prerequisites for medical technology school and to be closer to Gerald. Gerald was also at the U of M, studying engineering.
Janet was accepted to Baptist Medical Technology School and fiercely pursued her dream of becoming a med tech. Two weeks after her graduation and four days before her birthday, she became Mrs. Gerald Reeves. On September 20, 1957, she was the first bride to walk down the aisle of the new Macon Road Church of Christ auditorium, where her father preached.
Gerald was working for an architect, who was working on an Exxon contract, when Exxon offered him a job, even before he completed his college degree. Gerald worked full time and went to school at night, while Janet worked at Baptist Memorial Hospital on Union Avenue, Blood Banking. In February of 1961, their daughter Karen was born and two and half years later in July of 1963, their son Bruce arrived. When the kids were born, Janet took a work hiatus.
In 1967, Exon moved Gerald and the family to Birmingham and to Mobile, Alabama. He played a significant role in developing Esso fuel stations along the Gulf Coast. Janet continued her career here at Baptist Montclair. In 1970, they moved back to Memphis, living in Germantown. They joined White Station Church of Christ where Janet prepared meals for those who were ill and bereaved and taught in the children’s program. Gerald distinguished himself for providing doughnuts and coffee for the joint Heirs Bible class for 40 years.
Janet retired in 1996 as a med tech at Baptist Central. Most of her 40-year career was spent there in heart surgery. During those years, she worked on blood coagulation and open heart and heart transplant surgeries. After she retired, they built a house on Pickwick Lake and practically went every weekend. Gerald was still working when Janet discovered her artistic talent. She took drawing lessons, then went with a small group to study art in France for three weeks. She got so good, that a friend who owned a car dealership they had met through church asked her to do a painting he could put in every car he sold. When the details were worked out, she agreed and painted for him for a year and a half. It was none other than Bud Davis. Janet made enough money to build a large art studio in their home.
In 2001 Gerald retired after 41 years at Exxon as a Senior Marketing Engineer. They traveled and spent time enjoying their lake house.
In 2017, they sold their home and moved to Kirby Pines. They looked at several communities, but Janet had already been attending the Book Baggers three years prior, and after meeting all the smart, interesting members of that group, she had made up her mind for the two of them. The one stipulation was they wanted the apartment they had seen two years prior in Memphis Magazine and it just happened to be available. It was simply meant to be, it was God’s will.
Since moving in, Gerald enjoys relaxing with their dog Coca and looking at their beautiful view from their balcony. Janet has taken up Mahjong and they both enjoy dancing. By now, you surely have met the Reeves, if not, they are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They even sent me home with homemade cookies after our interview. Yum!
Kirby Pines, a sister community of The Farms at Bailey Station, is part of the family of LifeCare Communities of Retirement Companies of America. For more information, visit retirementcompanies.com