Bob’s Story: From Florida to the Chestnut Home at Woodlands
Woodlands resident Bob Gremp wasn’t always a citizen of Huntington, WV. Before he moved into his fully customized, two-bedroom Chestnut home at Woodlands almost two years ago, he lived in the home he built in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, where he originally retired.
A few years ago, Bob decided that he wanted to move to a retirement community so that he could take advantage of a maintenance-free lifestyle and have access to additional support services. Although he’s still very active, securing his future would bring peace of mind to both him and his family.
During his search, Bob toured four Florida communities, narrowed it down to two and eventually made a deposit at the one he liked best. However, it seemed as though the Florida community he picked just wasn’t destined.
A turn of events
Just to explore their options, Bob’s daughter, Lynn Cummings, who lived in Huntington with her family, looked into the Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) just a few miles from her home in Huntington. If Bob moved to Huntington, he would be much closer to Lynn. She and her husband visited Woodlands and were immediately impressed with everything they saw. From the location and the staff, to the residences and services, there wasn’t a thing they didn’t like.
“The physical campus was just so beautiful, and we were impressed with the apartments and the friendliness of everyone,” said Lynn. “It was very comparable to some of the nicer communities my dad toured in Florida, but the price was much more reasonable. At that point, everything made sense.”
On Lynn’s next trip to Florida to visit her father, she asked him to consider another option – moving to Woodlands. Having lived in the mountains of North Carolina before moving to Florida, Bob was attracted to a community located in the mountains. He was also attracted to the Life Care services at Woodlands as well as the community’s proximity to Lynn.
Bob traveled to Huntington shortly after to explore the community, and after a tour, he quickly had a change of heart. He removed his reservation from the community he had previously selected in Florida, and he picked a spacious, two-bedroom apartment, the Chestnut home at Woodlands.
“He had a lot of fun selecting and customizing his new apartment,” said Lynn. “Never in his life was he able to go in and make his customizations, like the paint colors and finishes. It faces the woods. It’s his bachelor pad. He loves it.”
A tale of two homes
Although Bob now had the new Chestnut home at Woodlands, he wasn’t entirely ready to give up his home in Florida. He enjoyed his life with his friends there and the house he had built and cared for. So, he decided not to sell his Florida home right away. During the colder, winter months Bob lives in his Florida home, and during the summer he travels north to live at Woodlands and to be near Lynn.
The maintenance and security services provided to Woodlands residents make it easy for Bob to be away from the community for several months. He feels secure knowing that his apartment home is safe and maintained by community staff. If something in his home were to break or not operate correctly, staff members can handle the problem quickly, without the need for Bob to rush back and handle it himself.
With two homes, Bob has the best of both worlds. When he is in Florida, he enjoys spending time with his friends and spending nice days on the golf course. When he’s in Huntington, he spends time with new friends, reads in the community library and stays up to date on all his favorite professional sports teams.
A family-friendly community
After learning about Woodlands, Lynn was so impressed with the community that she even started working there! She now works on the marketing team at Woodlands, which allows her to have a fulfilling job and be even closer to her dad when he’s living in the community. They often meet for lunch and dinner, and Lynn can pop in to say hi at any time.
“It’s a happy place, and the people here are great,” said Lynn. “I love being surrounded by the residents. It just makes you feel good, to see them move in and know they’re happy. Since I’ve experienced it firsthand, when I’m talking to prospective residents I can honestly tell them they’re making a good decision.”
Want to learn more about what it’s like to live at Woodlands? Give us a call at 304-697-1620, or reach out to us online here to request your free information kit! In your kit, you’ll learn what sets Woodlands apart from the rest!