6     The Senior Reporter  |  January Regional Senior Housing Directory 2018

MOVING

Gordon

Richardson

When asked where he lived before, 

Gordon jokingly says, “I’ve lived 

in the United States.” He was born 

and raised in Duluth. He explains 

that he moved often with jobs and 

retirement to other states such as 

New York and Florida. “Instead 

of taking long vacations, we made 

moving into vacations and explored 

everywhere we moved. We were 

able to visit with and understand 

people in different areas.” For four 

years, they lived in the Villages in 

Florida, near their older daughter, 

Lisa.
Gordon moved to Westwood senior 

apartments in October. He and 

his wife, Beverly, moved from 

Owatonna to Eagan, and finally to 

Duluth. Unfortunately, she became 

ill and didn’t live long after the 

move. He explains, “The move was 

by design. My daughter, Nancy, 

sought a place where my wife 

could have more care and I could 

live close by. By good luck, there 

was an opening here.”
Gordon lives in Westwood 

apartments, part of the Benedictine 

Health Services. “This is a nice 

area, a nice facility, but mentally it 

was difficult. We had been married 

63 years,” he says.
“Physically, the move was 

exhausting,” he says of the 

downsizing from a house to an 

apartment. “When you have a 

house, you accumulate a lot of 

things. I have boxes everywhere, 

and haven’t had time to unpack.”
“The facilities here are very nice,” 

he says. “There are exceedingly 

nice people here. Physically, the 

move was fine. My family helped 

so I didn’t do much. Mentally, it 

Story by Burton Laine 

Photos by  

Burton Laine & Provided

Making a move in older age can be a daunting task. Finding just the right location to move to requires 

assessing family needs, as well as personal abilities and interests. Then comes the downsizing. It has to be 

difficult to decide what to keep, what to give to family and finally what must go in an estate sale or some other 

option. Gordon Richardson and Charlotte Moyer both made multiple moves in retirement. They share their 

stories about how the most recent move has been successful and meets their unique situations.

Stories

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