Meet the community!
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Village Hearth is a group of LGBTs, straight friends, and allies who are actively creating this cohousing community in Durham, North Carolina. Read their bios below and get to know us!
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NancyThe big porches at Village Hearth convinced me it is the right place for me. Nostalgia over the 2 bed / 2 bath unit's wraparound porch literally hit me in the face.
Read More about Nancy. 
Tami & PatriciaIn 2003, I met Patricia which resulted in my renewed interest in scuba diving. With our careers and our interest in travel we have been fortunate to travel around the world and have created incredible memories. In 2017, I fully retired and continue to enjoy traveling with my spouse, Patricia. We recently purchased an RV, so we can now travel around this great country.
Read more of our stories. 
CathyCathy has lived in an 1840's farmhouse near where we built Village Hearth for 40 years.
Read it here. 
Allan & ChristopherAllan: My name is Allan Vernon Keech. I was born in England and after almost 30 years in NY working in the field of fashion, my partner and I retired early and moved to rural, southern Virginia. We spend much time in Durham and look forward to living there permanently.
Read Allan's bio here. Christopher: “Look back on your life and see if you can pinpoint the moment when everything changed.” If it isn’t cheating, the following two moments qualify: in 1979 when I learned to meditate, and in 1985 when my (heterosexual) marriage broke up. Everything did indeed change, instantly, and so what better way to frame my own bio? Read Christopher's bio here. |
Mike “I am ready for change,” says Mike. “We’re taking a big step – we’re pioneers, avant-garde!” He looks forward to being a vital part of the VHC community, and to enjoying hobbies like collecting antiques. “And who knows,” he adds, “since Durham is an academic city, I may even consider a part-time job!”
Learn more about Mike. 
Pat & MargaretHello, my name is Margaret Roesch and I have been lucky enough to share the past 22 years with my wife, Pat McAulay, by my side. I am a transplant to NC from West Lafayette, Indiana, and it was the best thing I ever did.
Read more about Pat & Margaret here. 
LisaCreating a cohousing community requires many talents—and we are fortunate that Lisa has shared hers with us. An attorney who lives in Dallas, Texas, Lisa has helped us align our visions of “aging-in-place utopia” with the more mundane, but essential, requirements of forming a homeowners association.
Learn about Lisa. 
Nan & KateCo-housing is an idea we have been looking into for a few years. When we heard of Village Hearth, with the commitment to aging in place with other 55+ LGBT and straight allies in the same town as our launched daughter, we were interested. When we met the members who were already involved, we were in.
More about Nan & Kate |
Dona & TonyTony and I have known each other for 40+ years and have been married for 26 of them. We are native North Carolinians, me growing up in Raleigh (you won’t meet many of us!) and Tony growing up in the Burlington area.
Learn more about Dona and Tony 
BarbaraBorn and bred in Baltimore, Maryland, Barbara Keesey thought at an early age that her future lay in either medicine or art. (That really reduced things for her to a very narrow lane in life….!) Since her interests were broad, and her ability in physics somewhat deficient for a pre-med student at Johns Hopkins, she majored in psychology instead. While she was doing work-study in Hopkins Evening College office, a lifelong interest was born in educational programs that promised learning for the sheer joy of it.
Find out more about Barbara. 
LindaLinda describes her life as eclectic and herself as a serial obsessive. Born in Iowa and growing up in Wisconsin, she has also lived in Illinois, North Carolina, upstate New York, California, and Georgia, plus shorter stays in Alaska and Tanzania.
Read more about Linda here. 
Jane“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 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.
More of Jane's story here. |
Meet the Pets!
HenryHenry always gets involved when Lisa is joining us for a zoom session.
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GimliGimli is a Sealyham Terrier who owns Linda. He loves taking walks, cuddling on the couch, eating, and charming everyone he meets.
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ElsaElsa is Nan's mobility service dog, which means she gets to go wherever Nan goes. Lucky dog!
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