Lois Clarke has been a resident of Harvest Hill for the past 14 years. Originally from Great Britain, she grew up with a brother, Bill, and sister, Margaret in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. She moved to Canada where she met her husband Malcolm and they lived in Massachusetts, then Pennsylvania, before settling down at Harvest Hill to be closer to their daughter in New London, New Hampshire.

For 11 of her 14 years at Harvest Hill, Lois spent considerable time and effort interviewing fellow residents for the in-house newsletter, Hillwinds. She has since retired from writing, feeling like it was time for someone else to carry on.

“Eleven years was a long time doing Hillwinds,” Lois says. “I loved it, but it was tiring having a job with consistent deadlines. I would sometimes do as many as five interviews a week and they generally took up my whole afternoon.”

She also spent considerable time gardening, growing flowers on her patio and found it very rewarding but is now content to admire the efforts of other resident gardeners while she takes it easy. She enjoys playing a weekly game of Scattergories with fellow residents on Sundays then finds it “a real treat” to retire to her apartment to watch movies. She enjoys a wide variety of films and television series and viewing them in the comfort of her home.

Lois typically starts her days with breakfast and carrying on a childhood family tradition of reading.

“My family always read at breakfast and lunch,” Lois says. “Never at dinner, though. That time was reserved for conversation.”

She and her friend of the past 13 years, Nancy, regularly meet every evening in the dining room, sometimes joined by another long-time friend and residents they invite to join them for great food and good conversation.

“There is no reason to eat alone here,” Lois says. “If someone asks to join your table and you have an empty seat, the answer is always yes.”

Lois says it doesn’t feel like she has lived at Harvest Hill for the past 14 years and means that as a compliment. She stayed so busy that she hardly noticed the time passing. She feels fortunate to live in such a comfortable community with a lovely apartment that overlooks the gazebo and courtyard next to a huge maple tree, being able to relax, play Scrabble on her computer and read as much as she likes. As the phrase goes, “Life is good.”

Carl came to Harvest Hill a retired magistrate after a long and illustrious career in the Navy where he served around the world and was a part of historical events that helped shape the United States.

Born and raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania, after graduating from high school Carl moved to Rhode Island where he earned a history degree from Brown University. He was a member of the Navy ROTC program and after graduation served four years in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and as the junior engineer in charge of the engine room on a ship that was part of the naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Carl married his wife Nancy in Massachusetts before being transferred to California and serving aboard the U.S.S. Ticonderoga in Southeast Asia at the start of the Vietnam War. When he was released from active duty they journeyed to Pennsylvania where he earned his juris doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law and moved to Rhode Island to practice corporate law.

Carl decided to rejoin the Navy in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp which took him to Norway, New London, Florida, Washington D.C., Scotland and Italy. In his second career with the Navy, he served as a staff lawyer, a lower court military judge and coordinated U.S. military activities with the Italian Ministry of Justice. In his last year of active-duty Carl served as a special assistant to the general counsel of the CIA.

“I had a great time with it,” Carl says of his long and unique Navy career.

After retiring from the Navy, Carl and Nancy stayed in Virginia where he was a state magistrate until 2000. They spent three years exploring new places to call home before settling on Orford, New Hampshire where they lived for over 20 years. Carl served as the town Treasurer for nine years, was a library trustee and a member of the Conservation Commission.

Carl is new to Harvest Hill, having moved from another senior living community for the bigger apartments, numerous walking trails, great food and wonderful staff.

“I see a smile everywhere and they can’t do enough for you,” Carl says of the Harvest Hill team. “They all know my name and are happy to help you with whatever you need.”

Carl stays busy walking the beautiful, wooded trails surrounding the Harvest Hill community, attending the group Brainteaser game, concerts, and the book read-aloud group. Besides the great location where he can walk to his primary care doctor’s office and the abundance of fun outings and activities, Carl says another reason he loves it at Harvest Hill is the food.

“It’s all so good and I really enjoy it,” he says.

Patricia “Pat” Renshaw has lived all over the United States, raised four sons, and worked in three distinctly different careers. She moved into Harvest Hill three years ago and couldn’t be happier with her decision.

“Harvest Hill is such a friendly, warm and receptive place. I felt very comfortable coming here,” Pat says.

Pat spent her childhood years going to school in NYC during the week, while her weekends, summers and holiday breaks were spent on the family farm in upstate New York. She moved with her mother to Jacksonville, Illinois to finish high school then earned a degree in psychology from Antioch College in Ohio. After a year studying human development in graduate school at the University of Chicago, she became a counselor for psychotic children. It was rewarding but extremely demanding work.

Looking for a fresh start, Pat began her second career in Chicago as a research director for an advertising agency. She met her husband at a square dance and after getting married, they lived all over the United States due to his career, in Long Island New York, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Los Angeles, California, and Washington D.C., just to name a few. Along the way they had four sons and decided to settle down in Albany, New York to finish raising them.  During this time, she served on the Guilderland school board for 12 years.

When her oldest children were in high school Pat knew it was time for a new career and returned to school to earn an MBA. She then spent 20 years in the New York state Office of Mental Health as a systems designer and analyst.

After retiring she and her husband moved to Hanover, New Hampshire to be near their son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. When she was ready for a change, Pat toured all the area senior living communities. The friendly welcoming environment and the fact her daughter-in-law’s father was so happy as a resident convinced her Harvest Hill was the right place for her.

“Harvest Hill has such an outgoing and friendly staff that are always available and willing to help you with anything,” Pat says.

Pat has a wide circle of friends that she met through various community activities. She enjoys going to the exercise classes, being in the book club and volunteers in the library. In the summer she plays Bocce ball and takes in the many musical performances the community hosts. Pat is a regular in the dining room, especially to enjoy breakfast and lunch with friends, but also appreciates the option to order take-out for dinner and a relaxing evening in.  

Beverly Weeks put a deposit down for an apartment 20 years ago when Harvest Hill was just breaking ground. Well, she finally moved in last November. She’s getting every penny’s worth of that deposit, too, taking advantage of all the community has to offer, trying out new activities, getting to know her neighbors and is so pleased to call Harvest Hill home.

The Harvest Hill community creates a new lifestyle for Beverly after living as a single working person for over 40 years. She was born in Chicago, Illinois but moved to Lebanon in the early 60s, then to White River Junction before moving to Harvest Hill.

Her daughter and son graduated from Lebanon High School, and both now live out of state. Beverly began to volunteer at the Lebanon Junior High School helping students with learning difficulties in the late 1970s. To become a licensed special education teacher Beverly commuted to Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire for three years while working full-time at the junior high school. She earned a master’s degree in education in 1987. Upon retirement from the Lebanon school district, she embarked on a new career working part-time in the floral department of the Hanover Co-op Food Store in Hanover, New Hampshire. Her floral career lasted 18 years.

“As I had an undergraduate degree in biology, I was familiar with plants, but had no training in design techniques, sales, or marketing. My co-workers were excellent teachers and very supportive. It was truly a learning experience,” Beverly says.

Beverly shares an apartment with her cat, Violet who is, “head of the household.” She has an assortment of plants that need a green thumb and greatly enjoys the Harvest Hill Conservatory with plants “that bring color to a gray or snowy day,” Beverly says.

As reading is her favorite pastime, she is pleased that the Harvest Hill library is “outstanding and so well organized I do not want for anything to read,” Beverly says.

She has gotten more involved in her new home and accepted a three-year appointment as a member-at-large on the Executive Board of Harvest Hill Residents Association. Concerns expressed by residents and staff are shared with board members.

“Living at Harvest Hill is so comfortable and pleasant. The staff members called me by name soon after my arrival. They are all friendly and helpful. The activities abound thanks to the energy of Activities Director, Carla Venti. There is something for anyone who wishes to participate,” Beverly says.

Beverly enjoyed the recent Mardi Gras Party Carla organized, complete with New Orleans food treats, beads, decorations, and live music from the Dixieland band that played handclapping, singing, toe- tapping tunes, “and lots of smiles complimented the laughter and good cheer of this event,” Beverly says.

Beverly appreciates the ever-changing selection of food provided by the Harvest Hill kitchen. Residents enjoy choosing from a wide variety of healthy fresh foods and requests are usually honored, from fancy fare to the basics.

We’ve introduced Ray before, but in this recent video interview you can hear from him directly about his move to Harvest Hill. Enjoy!

Watch the Video Interview

After moving to Harvest Hill in July, independent living resident Gretchen Fairweather has only good things to say about it, from the community’s staff to the interesting residents, activity choices and delicious food, to her comfortable apartment.

“It’s a very friendly, warm environment, and there’s always a lot going on,” said Gretchen, 78. “The staff is terrific, and the food is unbelievable. I couldn’t get over it! I’ve made some good friends, and my apartment is the perfect size for me.”

According to Gretchen, she actually set her mind on moving to Harvest Hill years ago. Working in Lebanon, her daily drive by Mascoma Street took her past a large building site, which she assumed was an addition to Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital.

“I’d just drive by it and wonder what it was,” she said. “It got bigger and prettier, and then one day I just drove into the driveway and found out it was going to be a retirement community. I decided right then and there that’s where I was going to live when the time came.”

Born in Rochester, New York, Gretchen grew up in Pennsylvania and attended The University of Vermont. She started her career at a Philadelphia publishing house, and later worked at Woman’s Day Magazine in New York City. It was there she met her husband, then a student at Columbia University.

After her husband secured a job teaching at the University of Connecticut, Gretchen took a job at the Willimantic Chronicle as a newspaper reporter. She spent her later career as a station manager for radio stations in Connecticut and New Hampshire and supported her husband and their two children while he attended medical school.

“I loved the people and the personalities I encountered working in radio! You get one announcer who wants to be the next Wolfman Jack, another who wants to be the next bigshot news reporter,” said Gretchen. “It was a lot of fun and I made a lot of friends.”

After she retired from radio, she and her family opened a bed and breakfast in West Hartford, Vermont for six years. She went on to spend a lot of her time volunteering: as a trail guide at a local natural museum, in the cancer center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and at David’s House, a residence for families of children being treated there.

“It’s been a good life,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences, and I have no regrets.”

Now, at Harvest Hill, Gretchen loves to remain active and involved, just as she always has. She loves that there is always something going on, whether it’s movies, van trips, live entertainment, lectures, classes, clubs or something else. She currently belongs to a book club, attends three exercise classes a week, and likes taking advantage of the nearby hiking and biking trails.

Most of all, though, Gretchen appreciates those parts of the community you can’t see from the outside: the people who work there. They’re the ones who make Harvest Hill truly special, she said.

“The staff here are just wonderful, from the nurses to the cleaning crew, to the maintenance men, to the people who work in the office,” said Gretchen. “And I think every resident here would say the exact same thing.”