Meet Jane
Jane’s journey to Village Hearth from Beacon, New York is a return to part of the country she has an affinity for: her father was born in Virginia, her mother settled in North Carolina later in her life, and her two daughters both moved to North Carolina in recent years.
“My life’s been eventful – let’s put it that way,” says Jane. She grew up in New England, married a college professor at age 19, and moved the Hudson River Valley area of New York, where she has lived most of her life. In her early 20s, Jane decided to quit college and got a job as a deli manager in a supermarket, a position she found interesting and which paid well. Here, she acquired management skills and learned the power of unions.
After 5 years, Jane returned to school, but decided it was not for her. Now divorced, she had friends who moved to Texas so Jane and her boyfriend sold everything they had, packed their dogs in the car, and drove to Houston. They married, had two daughters (Jessica and Alex), and lived there for 8 years. Eventually, they decided to return to New York, where Jane worked as an account clerk for a school district while earning her associates degree in accounting.
“My life’s been eventful – let’s put it that way,” says Jane. She grew up in New England, married a college professor at age 19, and moved the Hudson River Valley area of New York, where she has lived most of her life. In her early 20s, Jane decided to quit college and got a job as a deli manager in a supermarket, a position she found interesting and which paid well. Here, she acquired management skills and learned the power of unions.
After 5 years, Jane returned to school, but decided it was not for her. Now divorced, she had friends who moved to Texas so Jane and her boyfriend sold everything they had, packed their dogs in the car, and drove to Houston. They married, had two daughters (Jessica and Alex), and lived there for 8 years. Eventually, they decided to return to New York, where Jane worked as an account clerk for a school district while earning her associates degree in accounting.
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When her marriage of 20 years ended, Jane was unsure what she wanted to do— until one day, while getting a massage, she decided, “This is it!” She returned to school for a degree in massage therapy, became certified, and worked at a wellness center in Hyde Park. Eventually she bought and ran the business, which employed 16 massage therapists and other practitioners.
Jane loved her work, but had to make a difficult decision to close her business in 2009 in the wake of the recession. She joined a chiropractor’s practice—and three weeks later, spotted an ad in the local paper for a senior account clerk with the Hyde Park Central School District. Jane applied for and got the job; she has been there ever since. “I’ve been through a lot,” she says, “but I’ve been so lucky. Everything I’ve done has brought me to this point.”
Jane’s plan for her “next stage” was to move to Raleigh to be closer to her daughters: Jessica and her wife, Mandy, who live in Raleigh, and Alex and her boyfriend Brett, who live near Asheville. As she explored condos in the area, she learned of a coho unit for sale in a cohousing community in downtown Durham. “I had no what cohousing was,” said Jane, “so I looked at the national cohousing website—and discovered Village Hearth!”
“I was attracted to it immediately because it was so diverse. The picture, the people – I thought ‘this is perfect!’ I knew what I was going to do. I called Margaret for an interview. In retirement, I want to have a purpose, a structure, and be part of an intentional community, and this was just right.”
Jane will be joining us with her dog, Izzy. In addition to being engaged in our community, she looks forward to having more time for knitting, sewing, textiles, jigsaw puzzles, aroma therapy, do-it-yourself skin care, baking bread, and making yogurt.
Jane loved her work, but had to make a difficult decision to close her business in 2009 in the wake of the recession. She joined a chiropractor’s practice—and three weeks later, spotted an ad in the local paper for a senior account clerk with the Hyde Park Central School District. Jane applied for and got the job; she has been there ever since. “I’ve been through a lot,” she says, “but I’ve been so lucky. Everything I’ve done has brought me to this point.”
Jane’s plan for her “next stage” was to move to Raleigh to be closer to her daughters: Jessica and her wife, Mandy, who live in Raleigh, and Alex and her boyfriend Brett, who live near Asheville. As she explored condos in the area, she learned of a coho unit for sale in a cohousing community in downtown Durham. “I had no what cohousing was,” said Jane, “so I looked at the national cohousing website—and discovered Village Hearth!”
“I was attracted to it immediately because it was so diverse. The picture, the people – I thought ‘this is perfect!’ I knew what I was going to do. I called Margaret for an interview. In retirement, I want to have a purpose, a structure, and be part of an intentional community, and this was just right.”
Jane will be joining us with her dog, Izzy. In addition to being engaged in our community, she looks forward to having more time for knitting, sewing, textiles, jigsaw puzzles, aroma therapy, do-it-yourself skin care, baking bread, and making yogurt.