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Teresa Hall- Sleep and Family
Teresa Hall’s advice for retirement is “have a plan”, and “make sure you are financially sound.” Sleep, family and travel played into her strategy. “My first thought was sleep. My job required 10+ hour work days, some of it traveling, up at 5:30 a.m. every day. I was quite taken with the idea that I could stay up until 11 p.m. and sleep until 8 a.m.
Teresa sold her house in Richmond to return to the New River Valley near her parents and a sister. Her dad died six months later and a nephew, 12, had an accident that rendered him out of school for six months. She could step up to help in big ways. Now years later, she remains devoted to her lovable 90-year-old mom and family members.
She never returned to work after retirement, embarking on travel to European countries and cruises to Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean. She also enjoys playing duplicate bridge, taking yoga and exercise classes and lunching out with friends. Most of all, Teresa embraces the freedom to do what she wants for the most part and loves exactly what she returned to the New River Valley for – her family.
Rich Rio ~ Sugar at the Bottom of the Cup
“Coffee drinkers have been known to add sugar which doesn’t dissolve, but rests at the bottom of the cup,” Rich Rio explains. “Those last few sips are sweeter than the rest. That’s retirement – the sugar at the bottom of the cup!”
Rich also advises on having a plan and a good financial base. He and his wife hail from Boston, Mass., and have called Blacksburg home for 25 years. “My advice is start planning a year or two before you retire, what you will do to stay active physically and mentally.” Some choices were easy for him – “golf with a group of duffers who keep me humble” and “duplicate bridge which challenges me mentally.” Rich finds The Life Long Learning Institute (LLI) at Virginia Tech to be an amazing resource, offering classes specifically for retirees taught by top-notch professors.
Having three grown children scattered around the country takes them on the road a few times a year. From the breathtaking U.S. National Parks to China, the Baltic and Europe, the Rios have seen many new places. Rich joined a group tour to Morocco because that was on his bucket list.
He will tell you that downsizing is not for the faint of heart. Your kids might not want your Waterford crystal or the dining room set handed down from you grandparents. In the end, you’ll gain freedom to do things you enjoy instead of mowing the lawn. He encourages everyone stepping into retirement to discover new interests and embrace this sweet new phase of life – akin to that sugar at the bottom of the cup.
Carol Pressman ~ More Chapters to Go
“Retirement can have many chapters,” states Carol Pressman. Not everyone indulges in sleep, travel and new-found time. Some go to work. “When my husband threw in the towel on corporate life, we were both under 65. Health insurance was a concern, so we looked at ways to get into a group plan,” she explains. That propelled them to buy Torch River Hardware, an Ace brand store, on a glacial lake in northern Michigan, work 362 days a year and get into the Chamber of Commerce healthcare insurance program.
Retirement? Carol served on the Chamber board, the local Board of Education and became leader of the Northern Michigan Ace Dealers. Twelve years passed, and health issues prompted the couple to move to Salem, Va., near their son. As aging challenges escalated, they decided assisted living was next.
“Here’s the magic,” Carol exclaims! “I had been giving rides to a duplicate bridge player who lives in Warm Hearth Village. I saw quite a bit of it getting lost in there. The setting is beautiful and peaceful, and I thought to myself ‘someday, I will live here.’” After a tour and time on a waiting list, they got the call and made the move. Welcome to the New River Valley.
It’s an active community with friendly, interesting people, plus wonderful nursing support. “I no longer have to grocery shop, prepare meals and clean up. After almost 59 years of marriage, I am done with creative gourmet meal planning. There are way too many activities to access them all. Already, I feel like I am living in a college dorm for seniors. This chapter is going to be fun!”
MC ~ The Flexible Plan
MC’s first thought of retirement [in 1997] was in response to the question (when financing a townhouse): “How long do you plan to live here?” His response: Aug. 25, 2006. That would be his 55th birthday, and he planned to retire from his government job and return to Giles County and the New River Valley. He would reconnect with family, travel, camp, fish, read, follow local sports and be active in the community, if all by himself. Nothing wrong with that plan, right?
Well … an interesting, vivacious, smart lady from Panama showed up at a Latin dance club MC frequented. The retirement date slid back two years while they planned a wedding and navigated the residence paperwork, she being a tourist at the time. She is now a proud American citizen!
They returned to his hometown of Narrows, and he’s traveled more to Panama than he ever expected(!), plus a trip to Europe. He continued working remotely part-time for several years, wrapping that up in 2013 for full retirement. The couple enjoys family fun; they each have a grown child and grandchildren … “in another country” he jokes, i.e., northern Virginia. And he is happily following sports, active in the community, reading, playing duplicate bridge a few times a week and growing flowers and tomatoes to fill his days.
Camping and fishing fell by the wayside, and health concerns have sidelined some travel in recent years. Unexpectedly, his Spanish has vastly improved (he knew a few words), since those Central Americans don’t know the 3-day limit on family visits. Three months is more like a minimum stay! And he loves them all! Overall, retirement life is wonderful, starting every day without the alarm clock – and having every day with this interesting, vivacious, smart wife.
