Our Members
A selection of Great Oak members have chosen to write up a short bio.
Adi Alicia Amy H Helen Jillian Katie Nancy Willie
Helen
I investigated Ann Arbor's original cohousing community, Sunward, back in 1995, but for various reasons, I decided not to join. But then, a few years later and approaching retirement, I was invited to join newly developing Great Oak, Ann Arbors's second cohousing community. I decided cohousing was for me after all. What better place is there for an active retiree than with all ages of people: 0 through the 70s? The 85-year young dad of one of our members spends a lot of enjoyable hours here, so he's, for all practical purposes, one of us, too.
I retired from working at the Law School Library in early 2003 and moved into my 2 bedroom flat at Great Oak at the end of that year. My ground floor unit and the one next door are both handicapped accessible, which might come in handy someday (although hopefully not). These units were required by law.
I was formerly an elementary teacher and then a secretary at Univ. Of Michigan's Pathology Dept. before being hired at the Law School Library's Technical Services. I had a cat which recently had to be euthanized and in the market for another one. One of my pastimes is ballroom dancing on Sunday evenings.