Retirement-Living-Network

Retirement Living Champions

The pundits and columnists and talking heads are all warning that Boomers,(actually the marketers have us folks segmented in about 20 different ways), that we do not have enough saved to live safely on our interest income in our dotage. That description certainly fits me.

I have been making decisions for awhile, actually since I was 41, when I went back to graduate school, with retirement in mind. I wanted to make sure I could earn a lot of money to make up for the years I spent consuming recreational chemicals at a prodigious rate. Well, I do make a lot more money now, and still do not have a great deal saved for my retirement, and now I am 59, and I am beginning to question the message that is implicit in the advertising to me and other Boomers, which seems to be either about fear ("you must buy this annuity or live in a card board box") or consuming leisure. (I have played golf, but how many rounds will your average duffer play per week?)

Ever so slowly it is dawning on me that there are others my age who are in the similar boat financially, but they are living with style and grace and panache anyway.

Now those people are a true gift to me. They are models I call Retirement Champions, and I want to talk briefly about some people very close to me who are modeling living their retirement lives with courage and grace. At the end of this page, I hope you will submit your retirement champion, and tell all of us who are looking for some examples of courage and grace a bit about yourself, if you are the Champion, or tell us something about the person you admire.

KAREN MARTINEZ

Karen, as I wrote on my home page, is a widower, who still works as a nurse, and she spends a great deal of time between her nursing shifts buying and remodeling and selling small houses in and around Rockford, Il. Not too many years ago, on a day when we had imposed on her to babysit, Karen invited me into a small house that she had bought, to take a look at her work. She took me upstairs to what had been an attic, which she was remodeling into a bedroom/study. I was amazed. What she was creating involved hard labor. The debris apparently was being carried downstairs by hand. Now that is commitment, to not open up the wall and dump the debris into the dumpster is dedication. And when the work was done, Karen decided to sell the house, and move again, and is in the process of doing another remodel on a small house in Oregon, Il. much closer to her daughters and grandkids. This is the third house for her since I have known her. She is a champion.

RUBEN AND MARY BARNHART

Mary is my wife's aunt, and they have been close for many years. Ruben recently retired from Quacker Oats, and he and Mary moved from a Chicago suburb to Oregon, Il. in part to be close to family. They have a beautiful home frequently filled with grandkids and extended family for various celebrations.

Their lives were unexpectedly complicated by cancer recently, and its treatment.

Not once did I hear a complaint. Mary and Ruben undertook the task of dealing with a difficult illness with dignity and courage, which invited the rest of the family to offer support as they could.

Mary and Ruben were at our new house recently to help us celebrate our daughter's third birthday, and Mary reported that the Docs were telling her that all indications were that her recovery was proceeding excellently. I think that Mary and Ruben's fight is the good fight, and deserves honoring.

DON AND GAIL DIRKSEN

Don is my wife's father, Gail her step-mother, and they were here yesterday to take our son Shane to his flag football game, as Julie and I were doing a workshop together. Don retired from his position not too many years ago, and I believe Gail retired from a position at Ogle County. (By the way, the kid caught his first pass last week, and broke off a ten yard run on another play. I have sent the film to several Division 1 programs).

Don is a skilled and experienced carpenter who was enticed sweetly by his daughter to remodel our old house. He redid wiring, hot water heaters, and took out a wall which opened up the kitchen and made the whole house much spacier. Then he redid the cabinets and counters, and Shane got to help with the tear out, which he loved. Boys and destruction, go figure.

I have never heard either Gail or Don complain about finances, or fear, or Social Security, and not too many years ago, Gayle had open heart surgery, and while there was worry, there was no melodrama. Dealing with a major illness can be a lonely place, and now Don is dealing with some painful bursitis in his hip.

I am not sure of the exact circumstances, but I believe they have made a basement apartment at their house available to family members on occasion.

What I would like to honor about Gail and Don is their committment to family. Every July 4th we gather around the Koy pond for a cook out and noisy fireworks for the grandkids.

Is there a retiree in your life who is living with style and grace, taking care of relationships, family, community, in spite of what the financial advisors would call "limited means"? Would you take the time to tell us about this individual? Let us support each other.

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Jim Frazier-Champion Home Stager 
Jim is another individual whose life has had a huge impact on mine, for over 20 years. In one of his incarnations, Jim led experiential workshops, Breathwork ...

Steve Waters-Engineer Extraordinaire  Not rated yet
Steve was in integral part of our men's group for about 14 years. Seldom did Steve miss our time together, and he brought all his musical skills to our ...

Dr. Mike McNett   Not rated yet
Mike McNett is an MD, who has built a clinic in Chicago offering a unique approach to the treatment of fibromyalgia. Like all innovators, he has run into ...

Bob Gallagher's Path to Spirit  Not rated yet
I have been friends with Bob for going on 20 years now, and for about 14 of those years, we were involved in a men's groups exploring archetypes and shadow ...