The Pinecone
|
August 2015 • 3 •
welcome to
3535 Kirby Road • Memphis, TN 38115
A life-long Memphian, Carol
comes to us from her previ-
ous residence in Bartlett, TN.
Married for 55 years to Bobby
Britt, she recalls with fond-
ness the 3 years they lived in
Miami. A special “Florida
moment” was Hurricane An-
drew - surviving the wrath of
that storm and its destruction
of the Miami area. Carol was
a homemaker, seeing to their
three daughters and, now, four
grandchildren. She and Bobby
were active members of the
Buntyn Presbyterian Church,
donating countless hours in
church-related activities. After
Bobby retired, they traveled to
California, Alaska, and Italy.
Bobby passed away in 2011.
Carol’s interests include Bible
Study, gardening, and being
with her grandchildren. She
is also a devoted fan of the
Memphis Tigers football and
basketball teams. Her music
preference is Christian music.
Carol has been blessed with
a satisfying life. Her memo-
ries are good – sustaining her
in this phase of aging without
one’s spouse. Resilience is key
to successfully making one’s
way into a retirement commu-
nity and, essentially, starting
over again. Carol, you made
the right choice in moving to
Kirby Pines – you will quickly
feel at home.
Carol
Britt
Married for 60 years, Ben and
his wife, Joy Watkins Cole,
have 2 sons and 6 grandchil-
dren. Joy passed away in 2012.
Ben comes to us from his pre-
vious residence in Collierville,
TN. Ben started his military
service in the U.S. Navy. He
remembers his time in the
Navy as being an “unequaled
experience” serving aboard
the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ran-
dolph (CV-15). Ben then spent
35 years as a Military Pilot in
the U.S. Air Force and Air Na-
tional Guard.
His special interests include
meeting with other USAF/
ANG retirees, travel, and visit-
ing his children and grandchil-
dren. Good memories of travel
include England, Ireland, Scot-
land, France, Belgium, Germa-
ny, Hungary, Italy and Czecho-
slovakia.
He notes that the most inter-
esting thing he’s experienced
is life itself and the wonderful
people one meets along life’s
road.
Ben will find that living at
Kirby offers its own reward for
residents. New friendships are
forged, common interests with
other ex-military residents is a
natural “pull”. He will find his
way among us; and also will
contribute to the community
ambience. Ben, you’ve made a
good choice to join us!
Ben
Cole
Married for 47 years, John
and Mary McGaw come to us
from their previous home in
Germantown, TN. They have 2
sons and 5 grandchildren.
In 1959, John was awarded a
Degree in electrical engineer-
ing from the U. of Missouri.
His 40-year career included
Project Engineer at General
Electric, Senior Engineer at
Aerojet General, and Engineer
Manager at the U.S. Postal
Service. In 1956, Mary was
awarded a BA Degree in Fi-
nance from Larimore Business
College. While her primary
responsibility was that of a
homemaker, she also worked
for several years at the John
A. Brown Company, as Secre-
tary for the Sales Manager and
Secretary for the Advertising
Manager. Travel for the Mc-
Gaws includes most of Europe,
Scotland, Wales, England, and
Indonesia; plus many states in
the U.S.
Gospel, Celtic, and Golden
Oldies are their music prefer-
ences. Reading, painting, exer-
cising and flower arranging are
favored interests.
John and Mary enjoy meeting
new people – and their deci-
sion to live at Kirby Pines will
allow them to do just that. The
McGaws will find their niche
without difficulty. Let’s wel-
come John and Mary to their
new home. Life is good.
John & Mary
McGaw
Born in Boone, Iowa, Shirley
Parrish comes to the Kirby
Pines Retirement Community
from her previous residence
in Memphis. She had 2 daugh-
ters, (one who is deceased)
and 1 grandchild. She and her
husband moved frequently
as a military family, settling
in Memphis in 1970. Shirley
was employed for 22 years at
Schering Plough, Inc., retiring
as a Senior Research Techni-
cian.
Prior to retirement, Shirley was
(in her words) a professional
volunteer, working with major
Memphis establishments such
as the Orpheum Theater; Cook
Convention Center; Cannon
Center; Wonder Series; The-
ater Memphis; Play House on
the Square; Circuit Playhouse;
and the Symphony. She counts
listening to many styles of mu-
sic as one of her favorite pas-
times; in addition, reading and
computer usage are pastime
favorites.
Moving to the Kirby Pines
Retirement Community was a
good choice for Shirley, and
we are certain that she will be
asked to lend her volunteer ex-
pertise and experience to the
myriad events sponsored by
Cheryl Grimes and her staff.
Shirley, we wish you well in
your new life with us.
Shirley
Parrish
All New Resident bios are written by Kirby resident, Jacqueline Besteman