Meet Our Residents: Saundra Gourley

Making the Most of Retirement at Porters Neck Village 

Without jest, Saundra Gourley tells me her retirement is better than she could’ve ever imagined.

Ms. Gourley knows a thing or two about life, the aging process and planning for your future.

She’s both well-traveled and well read, having entered the Peace Corps after college at 22 years of age.
She knew Maya Angelou before she was a global figure.

She spent two years teaching science in Ghana before returning to the U.S. to pursue higher education, and eventually finding her way into the computer industry. She’s proud to say she’s “one of thousands of people who brought internet to the world!”

While in her 40s, the father of a friend moved into a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) which was her first introduction to the concept of a Life Plan Community. After the death of a friend nearly 10 years ago, she began to seriously consider her own future. She found that her own social circle was getting smaller.

She was living in Boston, Massachusetts when her sister and her niece started encouraging her to move to the Wilmington area.

For her, Porters Neck Village felt like the right place. She was drawn to the campus’ natural beauty, and liked that our not-for-profit status means we pour our resources directly back into our community.

She says the promise we give of “maintenance-free living!” has more than exceeded her expectations. She enjoys swimming classes and walking. Life at PV provides opportunities for bolstering physical and mental strength that might not be so accessible otherwise. She’s engaged with foreign policy discussions and continues to enjoy reading and film.

She says she’s living a fuller life now than she was prior to her move to PV, while maintaining some of her lifelong hobbies including elaborate beaded cross stitching.

“I never dreamed that my retirement years would be this good,” she said.

She told me the community feels like family. She feels safe and secure and thinks its comical that a chief “complaint” is being tired from all of the activities!

With bountiful options for engagement, life at PV is what you make it and Saundra is not doubt making the most of hers.