Island Hoppers Sanibel Residents Often Retire to Shell Point B
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Shell Point is home to more than 2,100 people, and it is not surprising to discover how many have moved to Shell Point from nearby Sanibel Island. Here are just a few of the friendly Sanibel folks who now call Shell Point home. Perfect Prescription For Dr. Dick Smith and his wife, Joan, Sanibel Island turned out to be the best antidote to a busy career in the medical field. Dick and Joan met at the University of Minnesota when both were pursuing degrees in the medical field, Dick as a physician and Joan as a medical technician. The couple started a family and had two children in quick succession. After Dick’s internship they moved Dick and Joan Smith to St. Cloud, Minnesota, for two years and then they moved to a small town just north of St. Cloud, named ily to Fort Lee, Virginia, where they spent Holdingford. two years as Dick ran the X-ray depart“This little town was about as close as ment in the station hospital. you could get to that mythical town of Lake Woebegone that radio host Garrison On the Move Again Keillor describes on his weekly radio proJoan was a very good sport and had begram, ‘A Prairie Home Companion,’” said come proficient at packing up the family of Dick. “There were only 500 people in the five because in two years they were on the whole town and everybody knew every- move again, this time to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, body else’s business.” where Dick joined a radiology group in 1955. In 1950 they moved to Madison, Wis- It was during their time in Cedar Rapids that consin, so that Dick could attend the Uni- Dick and Joan met a couple who had a place versity of Wisconsin to study radiology. on Sanibel Island. “They were always talking During his three-year residency, the cou- about Sanibel and encouraging us to come ple had one more child, but they weren’t visit them,” said Dick, “so we finally did.” settled yet, because following his resi- Dick and Joan loved the island with its dency, Dick was called into the military unique, laid-back atmosphere. after the Korean War. He moved his famAfter four years in Cedar Rapids, the
family moved to San Diego, where Dick opened his own radiology practice. They enjoyed all of the positive attributes of living in California, including the mild climate of San Diego, but they didn’t forget that first visit to Sanibel Island. Dick and Joan had started participating in “house swapping” for vacations, so a year after their first visit, they arranged to trade houses with a couple on Sanibel for an entire month in 1978. “We decided on that trip that it would be a good idea to purchase a piece of property on the island for possible use in the future,” said Dick. “Although this was the late 1970s, I knew someday I would be retiring and we were already starting to think about where we might want to live in our retirement.” Dick retired in 1981 and the couple finally made Sanibel their full-time home in 1992. “One of the things we really liked about Sanibel was the people who lived there were pretty close to our age,” said Dick. “It was mostly a retired group backthen and you could get acquainted very easily. Plus the stores were close by and everything was convenient. There were churches, city facilities, a fantastic library, and many other amenities that made the island truly special.”
Dick and Joan continued to enjoy playing golf together and Dick picked up a new past time – water color painting, which he says he still has not mastered after all these years. “I know the rudiments to create a pleasing painting,” said Dick with a laugh, “but knowing and doing are two different things!”
Next Stop Shell Point It turned out that Dick and Joan still had one more move to make: the couple decided to move to Parkwood in The Woodlands at Shell Point in 2005. “Several people we knew on Sanibel had moved to Shell Point and that made us aware of the community,” said Dick. “Everybody that had anything to do with the community said it was a very nice place, so we decided to check it out.” Some of the same amenities the couple liked about Sanibel were also available at Shell Point, including convenient services and amenities that you can reach by a short walk or a quick ride in a golf cart. Shell Point has a church, health care facilities, wellness centers, restaurants, a fantastic library, and much more. Since the couple has family spread out all over the country, including numerous children, grandchildren, and even greatgrandchildren, they enjoy having them come to Florida to visit or they hop on a plane and travel to see them. Although this couple still travels around the country, their roots are firmly planted in Florida. It was a circuitous route that brought them here, but in the end Sanibel and now Shell Point were the perfect prescription for their retirement!
Two Hobbies Kept this Couple Busy In this great marriage, Bill McCoy and his wife, Mary, get along well together and have hobbies that are complementary. For years, Mary, an amazing selftaught photographer, spent years shooting spectacular photographs near the couple’s home on Sanibel Island. Bill, an avid fisherman, enjoyed collecting seashells. His prowess at both provided ample photo opportunities for Mary. So the couple contentedly spent 25 years – he fishing and shelling, and she capturing his accomplishments on film while wintering on Sanibel Island.
“The quantity and the quality of shells on the beaches back then were just amazing,” said Bill. “Sometimes I would get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and take a flashlight down to the beach to go shelling. The tide was right and no one else had been before me to pick up the treasures,” he said. “But sometimes I would see the footprints of someone who had already beaten me to it!” As Bill continued to hook fish and find seashells, Mary perfected her skills as a photographer. She took thousands of photos of every aspect of island life, including beautiful nature scenes.
Bill and Mary McCoy
Bill’s big catch
The couple met a number of people on the islands of Captiva and Sanibel who moved to Shell Point. “We started visiting them at Shell Point for lunch or dinner, and they all seemed to be really happy there,” said Mary. “We began to think that Shell Point might be a good place for us to consider for our retirement too.” In 2005 Bill and Mary moved to Shell Point. “We think the good Lord led us here, because we can’t believe our good fortune to be here,” she said. “We are so thankful.” Mary continues to enjoy her photography by participating in the Shell Point and Fort Myers Photo Clubs and Bill occasionally drops a line in the water and enjoys time outside in Shell Point’s beautiful setting.
Sanibel Set the Perfect Stage for Their Retirement Ask anyone in show business and they will tell you, “Timing is everything!” Such is the case with amateur actress and cook, Ruth Deuber, and her husband, Warren, when it came to planning their retirement. Warren and Ruth Deuber lived in Dayton, Ohio, where Warren ran a variety of businesses and Ruth raised their four chil-
One of many Sanibel photos taken by Mary.
dren. Although Ruth was a busy mother, she still managed to find time to volunteer with a number of groups in their community. “I had ‘professional volunteer’ stamped on my forehead, and it hasn’t come off since!” said Ruth. Among her many volunteer jobs was working at the local hospital, which actually tried to hire this “get-it-done” gal several times. The couple heard about an island in Southwest Florida and after a brief visit to the secluded area, thought it might be a good idea to purchase a piece of property there. They bought a condominium in 1971 at pre-construction prices. Needless to say, this was a good investment. Warren sold his businesses in 1982, and in 1984 they moved to Sanibel to live full-time. During this time in their lives, they continued to volunteer and were active in a wide variety of organizations. “I know some people have a lot of interesting or unusual hobbies,” said Ruth, “but our favorite hobby is volunteering. We just enjoy it.”
Because Sanibel is such a beautiful and unspoiled area, they both volunteered with CROW and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, where Ruth was chairman for four years. Warren worked with a group, known as the Hammerheads, which is the volunteer group that builds things for SCCF, and he was also a trail guide at the facility. The Hammerheads worked on the Historic Village display which features a number of historic buildings from throughout the community that were moved to a single site for preservation. Warren also served as president for two terms for Sanibel’s water utility. Warren and Ruth lived on Sanibel for about 24 years. As they started getting a bit older, they recognized the effort required to maintain a home and decided they wanted something that would be more convenient and ensured they would have healthcare amenities in the future. The couple sold their home and moved to nearby Shell Point. They felt they would be able to enjoy the same variety of amenities in a beautiful location; they even selected a corner unit in Periwinkle which offered unrestricted sweeping views of the Caloosahatchee River. One thing hasn’t changed for the couple, and that’s their volunteer spirit. Both Ruth and Warren are actively involved in the community life at Shell Point. According to Ruth, some things never change!
Resident Looks Back on Years in Sanibel Government Nice guy. That’s the description you get from people when you ask them to describe Mike Klein. Mike is one of those people who always sees the bright side of things and the good in others. So it comes as no surprise to learn that he has had a While living on Sanibel, Warren and Ruth Deuber enjoyed hiking the nature trails.
number of roles as a leader in various areas ber of groups, including the wildlife comof his life — his most interesting one as mittee and the vegetation committee. He Mayor of Sanibel Island. was elected to the Council in 1980 and Mike was born and raised in Rochester, served two four-year terms between 1980 New York. After graduating from high and 1988. The position of mayor is elected school, Mike enrolled in the University of by the City Council to serve for one year Rochester where he majored in physics. He as the chairman of the council. Mike got a job as a research lab assistant with East- served as mayor in 1983 and 1988. man Kodak and worked there every summer “None of the members of the council while he was in college. were trained in government,” said Mike. Mike graduated from colMike Klein lege in 1943 and went right into the United States Army. His basic training was in the heat of the summer at Fort Riley, Kansas. The military transferred Mike to the Army Night Vision and Electro-Optics Laboratory in 1944. “I worked in the lab as a GI on a variety of military defense projects for the Army, and when I finished my military hitch, they hired me as a civil “We were just average citizens service government emwho volunteered to serve with ployee in the same capacthe hopes of making our comity,” said Mike. “I worked munity a better place to live.” on the development of Mike did the things a small night vision devices, intown mayor is expected to do. cluding the night vision “When you are the mayor, you goggles that our troops are Mike spends almost every represent the city, and you end using now, as well as a morning in the pottery up getting your picture in the multitude of other optical studio at Shell Point. paper a lot of times,” he said. devices.” Shell Point Beckoned Mike and his wife, Evelyn, enjoyed livMike and Evelyn knew several people ing in Springfield, Virginia, just 20 miles south of Washington. The couple had ac- who had lived on Sanibel and moved to tive career and social lives and enjoyed Shell Point. They moved to The Island at traveling. Mike had always enjoyed the Shell Point in 1998. They chose a large outdoors and the couple went on many three-bedroom unit overlooking the lagoon and the Caloosahatchee River. hiking and camping trips. Mike has continued his role as leader The Kleins first heard about Sanibel Island in the early 1960s from a man who by serving on the Resident Council at worked with Mike in the lab, so they de- Shell Point. But when he isn’t busy with his role as a volunteer, you’ll probably find cided to check it out. “Sanibel Island wasn’t very commercial him in the pottery studio. Mike took up at that time,” said Mike. “There was only one pottery years ago when he was still living restaurant there, and not many people living up north and enjoys the opportunity to there at the time, but the beaches were al- create beautiful works of art. He also helps out in the pottery studio by showing othready well-known for excellent shelling.” Mike retired from the Electro-Optics ers how to use the tools and equipment. When Evelyn passed away in 2001, Laboratory after 30 years and the Klein’s Mike was grateful to have so many new moved to Sanibel. friends and neighbors for support. “This is Getting Involved a great group of people,” he said. Mike and Evelyn enjoyed living on “We help each other out and watch Sanibel, and Mike got involved in a num- out for each other.”