 Home | Recent News | Arkansas City | Couple Chooses to Stay | Printme 01 May 2006 Couple chooses to stay in community they love, while gaining freedoms of retirement community living |  | Mickey and Bob McClure in the Manor Library. | |
Timing and location were everything for Bob and Mickey McClure when it came to their decision to sell their home of 40 years and move to a retirement community. “When you’re ready, it’s too late. So we decided we would decide when we would be ready,” Mickey said from their Presbyterian Manor apartment, which has been home for these retired educators since April 2004. “People say that they want to keep their independence. Is it keeping their independence if you get sick and someone else has to make decisions?” The McClures mirror common trends among today’s seniors, who want to retain control over their lifestyles and are increasingly deciding to move to retirement communities while they are still vibrant and active. They considered leaving Arkansas City to be nearer a major airport to facilitate visits to their daughter in Florida. But they decided it was important to stay in the community where they had built their lives and near another daughter who lives close by. A recent study by the National Association of Home Builders and Countrywide Home Loans reveals that an overwhelming majority of today’s seniors want to live near their loved ones or in communities where they have put down roots, which dispels a common perception that seniors prefer warm-weather retirement destinations. Mickey said the experience also dispelled some of their perceptions about “downsizing.” She said they were surprised and pleased to learn they didn’t have to make a down payment or give up possessions they enjoyed because of a significantly smaller living space. “We have a nice big two bedroom apartment, almost 1,200 square feet,” she said, adding that was a real plus with her collection of oak baskets and antiques. “It (downsizing) didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. We chose our own colors and carpeting. We sold most of our furniture and bought new furniture. It suits the purpose and fits where we are.” The Manor took advantage of the couple’s expertise immediately, drawing on Mickey’s background as a librarian to resurrect the Manor library – a project that also helped a nearby community gets its library off the ground. “Margaret Wahlborg, Manor marketing director, had said something about it even before we moved in. “We started and Bob helped. So did one of the other ladies. We ended up taking out about 27 boxes of books. We did find a place for those to go – Kaw City, Okla. They had just started a library there. They came and got the books.” Mickey “weeded” the Manor library’s hundreds of books to a workable collection. She and Bob, an American history teacher, went back to their former school and copied the pattern for a rack to hold rods for newspapers. “One of the maintenance men built the rack. That helped. Recently the Manor put a computer in the library with Internet access. We bought a book cart in honor of our daughters and put it there,” she said. Other residents help maintain the library, freeing Bob to bake his delicious bran muffins and enjoy his daily 40-minute walks. And Mickey says, “Gosh, there are days when I’m much busier than I was at home” taking part in the many activities available. The maintenance-free lifestyle means Mickey enjoys housekeeping help and Bob no longer gets the “honey do” list. “We both feel really good,” she said. “We look at each other once in a while and say, ‘Are we sorry?’ And we say no, we made the right choice for us and our kids.” Nancy Borst is a Kansas freelance writer who often writes articles featuring Manor residents.
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