Bob and Marlene have maintained a home in the Valley of the Sun since his retirement from the Air Force in 1969.  Bob last served with the 64th Troop Carrier Wing (C130E) at Sewart Air Force Base, Tenn.  Shortly after his retirement the Wing moved to Little Rock AFB, AR, along with the 314th support units, and Sewart AFB was closed down.  In January of 1970 Bob went to work for Lockheed Aircraft International AG in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  There he ran the Avionics shop for three years, both teaching and performing equipment maintenance.  After a four year stint back in Arizona where he worked in Real Estate and Construction Management, he returned to Jeddah to teach Avionics systems to the Saudi Air Force trainees in their new training facility.  In January 1980, he left Lockheed to accept a teaching position with Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) in their Technical Training Department.  Bob specialized in Boeing 737 and 707 systems, along with selected systems of the L1011 and 747.  Due to age limitations, Bob was manditorily retired from SAUDIA in June 1985, and returned to Mesa, Arizona.  Marlene who had remained in the valley during the years the children were in school, joined Bob in Jeddah in 1978, after the youngest daughter finished High School.  She endured the privations of Jeddah during the late 70's, when supermarkets were scarce, and shopping a real adventure.  Then in 1980, when Bob moved to SAUDIA, she began to enjoy the adventure of Arabian living, with decent accomodations in a 3br duplex home with central air, nearby recreation center & Pool, and ample friends to spend time with.

After retiring from SAUDIA, Bob & Marlene decided that the old homestead in East Mesa, was not easy to renovate, and so opted to purchase a new home in Chandler, AZ.  They chose a new subdivsion with intertwining lakes, called The Springs.  While living in Chandler, Bob was active in civic affairs and worked on a 'Committee for the Aging' for several years, as well as acting as a guest columnist for the Chandler Independent. Also active in Real Estate through 1990, he opted to reduce working hours finally and was with an H&R Block office for three years.
Their 3Br Patio Lot home sufficed for almost eleven years, then came the yearning for more activities patterned for retirees. 

Thus we arrive at the present location in Ventana Lakes, Peoria, AZ [Oddly it is the Sun City Post Office that serves our area.]  Never one to fully vegetate, Bob kept busy main- taining a website for Lockheed Retirees who belong to the "Star Dusters" and have computer ties to the Internet, for several years.  A chance appearance of the Sun Cities DesertAires Barbershop Chorus, got Bob involved with music for the first time in many years.  He is now in his 7th year with them. Marlene has numerous hobbies, including gardening and crafts.  Social activities include Bocce Ball, volunteer services for community affairs and participation in community and Church affairs and social events. At this point in life we are enjoying Retirement and the continued success of our family and Grandchildren.

Living in a Retirement Community is somewhat different than in a family subdivision, or a rural area.  One is impressed with the neatness of individual homes and yards, as well as the absence of autos in the street.  As in all retirement communities, strict rules of the Homeowner's Association, insure that property is well maintained and yards groomed throughout the year.  The various social groups and activities provide something of interest to all.  All in all, it is a location that will agree with most who have moved beyond child rearing and reached the time in life where they want to feel at ease with their neighbors, and escape the closeted lifestyle found in so many family subdivisions where few know their neighbors or share there lifestyle.