A Lifetime of Service
Joe Goode enjoys helping others and staying active.
“I was surprised,” to have won, he recalls. “The Elks Home made arrangements to make sure I was able to accept the award.” Read more
More “Me” Time
For Larry LaCroix, life as a retiree is good.
For Larry LaCroix, retirement has brought welcome changes to his mindset. Gone are the days of donning a suit for the workday. “Life is Good” T-shirts have become the attire of choice. And daily he proves the slogan is true. Read more
The Good Life
Carolyn Carter is one awesome lady. Mother of two (three if you count her dog, Macy) and “Grammie” of one (OK, three when you add the granddogs), she charms you with her endearing smile and tender heart. She makes friends at the drop of a hat, a good trait to have now that she’s uprooted from her native Martinsville to retire in a new city.
Now that she lives in Roanoke, Carolyn Carter and her daughter have more time to spend together.
But Roanoke is actually not that foreign to her. Carter lived here for a short stint in the 1970s, when “the Royal Kings were playing at the Kings Inn on Salem Avenue and the Coffee Pot was the hot spot to hang out.” She relocated with a friend and worked as a cosmetologist for a beauty salon, spending some of her down time shopping downtown or at Sidney’s department store in Towers Mall. Read more
Smith Mountain Lake
Permanent Vacation
What was once a retreat from their home in Binghamton, N.Y. has become a permanent residence for Doug and Cheryl Morrison. The choice was a given, thanks to the friendly folks, mild climate and sparkling waters Smith Mountain Lake had to offer.
After vacationing at Smith Mountain Lake for years, Cheryl and Doug Morrison of New York decided to call the area home. Both are active int he community and enjoy spending time on the sparkling waters.
The two stumbled upon Smith Mountain Lake by accident, Cheryl says, while reading a golf magazine. During a Virginia vacation, they decided to check out the area, meeting with a realtor to tour condos. Read more
Richfield Retirement Community
Community Spotlight
Already familiar with Richfield Retirement Community for its services, Claudine Ratcliffe knew she had found the ideal place to retire three years ago. Read more
Active Lifestyle
Slow Down? No Way!
Charlotte Fischer has been retired 11 years, but it’s not always easy to tell. She’s actively involved in a number of things. And that’s just the way she likes it. Read more
Virginia Is Ideal For Retirement
Hokie Faithful
Robert Harris, pictured with wife Katherine, is happy to be back in Christiansburg, not only for the great weather and cost of living, but to be near his alma mater. Virginia Tech, as well.
Robert Harris graduated from Virginia Tech in 1961, never wanting to stray from the college town atmosphere he had grown to love. Working for Ford Motor Company, he started his career in Norfolk before transferring to Michigan, where he stayed for 30 years. Read more
Second Retirement
Second Time Around
A retired chef who prepared meals for countless celebrities, Wilfried Shilling still has a passion for cooking.
Wilfried Shilling is two-and-a-half years into his second retirement. And he plans on it being his last.
A chef who rubbed elbows with – and cooked for – a number of celebrities (John Wayne, Bill Cosby and Elvis Presley, to name a few) in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, Shilling retired to Roanoke seven years ago. He was ready to embrace the slow pace of Southern life. Read more
About Retire-VA.com
Our annual Western Virginia Retiring Style has just been published! Here to accompany it, is a web-based version of the guide. However, you can CLICK HERE to request a FREE copy of the printed guide.
To meet the needs of the 50+ population in Southwest, VA, we at Leisure Publishing have brought this informative guide to you. Leisure also produces the periodicals, Blue Ridge Country, The Roanoker and Mountain Homes magazines as well as many custom projects and guidebooks including the Virginia Travel Guide.
Please take a moment to navigate through the site to learn more about retiring in Virginia.
Change of Scenery
The threat of hurricanes led Warren and Barbara Cain to leave their retirement home by the sea in Hilton Head, S.C., and head to the peaceful mountain countryside Read more
Action!
When Betty Joe Fulcher of Fieldale, a small community in Henry County, performs on stage, she enjoys the opportunity to immerse herself in the characters she portrays. Acting, she says, allows her to “spend some time outside of everyday life just for a little while.” Read more
Preserving Memories
A retired Colonel of the United States Air Force, Joe Johnson Jr. of Daleville wants the story of his life experiences to live on through generations of his family. To do just that, he wrote a book specifically for his loved ones titled “Looking Back in the Rearview Mirror.” Read more
Goodbye Fast Pace, Hello Relaxation
Gone are the days of hustle and bustle for Ted and Bonita Johnson. Today, they much prefer lounging in the sunroom of their Smith Mountain Lake home with a good book in hand or boating on the sparkling waters. Read more
Giving Back
Much of Will and Carol Sawyer’s retirement has been devoted to helping people. The Bent Mountain residents have shared their gifts of teaching and music respectively with local folks, as well as in other countries. And they’ve loved every minute of it. Read more