Retiree Stories - Lia Grundle

Retiree Stories

Lia Grundle
Newcomer, North Vancouver, British Columbia

Lia Grundle will be retiring in a place she absolutely loves. She and her husband found their ideal property by the river, cleared it themselves, and built their own house. Lia finds her surroundings to be "magical", her house private and secure because it is "out in the boonies," and likes that she is next to a town where, over the course of fourteen years she has "come to know everyone" because of the small size and welcoming personality .

Lia grew up in White Rock, and her husband in Powell River. After living in North Vancouver, they knew they wanted to retire, not in a city, but in a town that had the same essence as their childhood homes. However, they didn't want to return to the climate of their childhoods, so Campbell River was a "natural choice." "When I was a girl I could go out in the spring and pick little wild black berries, and now that I'm retiring I can pick them again." They had been to the area before on fishing trips and found Campbell River more appealing than other places in the area. They found the perfect property and decided to clear it and build there own house. That was in 1989. Now their house is built, their yard landscaped, and the ideal retirement future is before them.

Lia is in love with her property. It is private and secure, but it is also "magic." They have a view of the river and Lia describes how she can sit and watch the Kingfisher fly up and down searching for meals. She listens to the Dipper song in the morning and it is "the most beautiful thing." "It's all there for us" she says. You can tell she is a rich woman when she describes how her property is filled with wild Trilliums, Lilies and Dogwoods and how when she sees them blooming in the spring it makes her feel that there is "hope for humanity."

As a retiree Lia looks forward to becoming involved in the community. She feels that the size of Campbell River will allow her to do this. So far she has found it easy to integrate so she has no worries about finding places to volunteer.

Lia Grundle feels she has an abundance of things to enjoy about living in Campbell River; her home, the people and all the surrounding beauty. She is really looking forward to her retirement.