Early Voices

EARLY VOICES: CLAIRE CORFEY

Through 2021, as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Garden Spot Village, we will include the insight and memories of some of the Early Voices who knew the Weaver Family or were involved in the beginnings of Garden Spot Village. Written by Juanita Fox, Storyteller

“When Bill and I moved into our cottage, there was just an empty field across the street where Skilled Nursing is now. Our grandkids used to play there,” reminisces Claire Corfey, a Garden Spot Village resident since June 1997. Claire and Bill raised their children in Aldan, a small town in Delaware County and moved to Cochranville after Bill retired. In 1996 they were ready for another move. They began to research retirement communities near them. One day, they spied a small ad in their local newspaper. Bill said, “Where’s New Holland?” After locating New Holland on the map, Claire and Bill drove to Garden Spot in order to check out the new community. Bonnie Gehrig took them for a tour. Claire reflects, “I just knew this was the place! Every day I thank the Lord that I am at Garden Spot Village.” Claire adds, “We felt that moving to a retirement community was a gift to our children so they wouldn’t need to worry about us as we aged. It was a good decision because when Bill was sick, one of our daughters was living in Sweden and the other was living in Seattle. I had my Garden Spot Village community to support me.” Over the years Claire and Bill connected with their neighbors and their new community. Claire shares that two of her neighbors—Carol Lamb and Jean Brown—have lived along Linden with her since 1997. Residents who live in the eight cottages of Linden have created their own microcommunity, sharing meals, going out for breakfast, visiting and spending time together. One of Claire’s favorite memories of living in community at Garden Spot was when she and Bill decided to take a river cruise in Europe. They mentioned it to their neighbors, Richard and Avis Oliver, who asked, “Can we come along?” Claire says, “By the time word got around, 12 of us went on the river cruise in Europe. Bill coordinated all the details and a driver took us in the Garden Spot bus to the airport. It was one of the best trips we ever took.” When Bill passed away in 2016, Claire was grateful for her friends and community who supported her. The grandchildren who were school-aged when Claire and Bill moved into Garden Spot in 1996 are now grown with children of their own. Claire delights in visiting with her great grandchildren. One grandson has a preschool boy and another has twin boys who just celebrated their first birthday. Memorial Day Weekend Claire enjoyed a visit with her daughter, grandsons and their wives and her great grandsons. It was the first family gathering since early 2020. “I feel so blessed that I was able to see them,” she says. She looks forward to a large family celebration in July, when her other daughter’s family will fly in from Seattle to celebrate her 90th birthday.