New on the Ridge: Terry and Tom Ortez
Terry and Tom Ortez have a love and appreciation of Northern California that runs deeper than most. It’s where they met and fell in love before marrying in Hawaii in 2004. Both retired, the Ortezes live a vibrant lifestyle that includes a love of exercise, spending time with friends, cooking with each other, reading (her), tennis (him) and spending time at their second home in Lake Almanor.
They’re excited to be joining Paradise Valley Estates’ newest neighborhood, The Ridge, and shared details about their decision to join the Life Plan Community and what they’re looking forward to about their new Northern California home.
How did you find out about The Ridge?
“We visited friends living in a continuing care retirement community in 2019 and that was our first introduction to the lifestyle, amenities and healthcare benefits,” says Tom. So, they hopped on the computer to see what was around them and learned about Paradise Valley Estates and The Ridge. “We were really excited about Paradise Valley Estates because of The Ridge. It made a difference knowing when you can move in as opposed to being in a line, waiting.”
What else about The Ridge made it so appealing?
“It has everything that can support us through different stages of our older age,” says Terry. “But it also has everything we like to do. Where we live now, when we want to go work out, we have to get in the car to drive to a club. At Paradise Valley Estates, it’s right there. As we get older, to have help and food service really close, too, those things are very reassuring.”
What was the deciding factor for you?
“This all started late last year, and we hadn’t been looking all that long when I asked Terry if she was ready. Her thinking last November was that we’d wait three to five years,” says Tom. “But that changed. Part of it was my mother passing away a year ago. We saw the impact on my sister that was closest to the facility where she was. The impact on her was tremendous. We don’t want to do that to our kids. We want to make our own decision, come up with our own plan, and we gotta do it now. You can’t wait until you need it; you gotta do it before you need it.”
What are you most looking forward to about the move?
“I think a lot of people start thinking about it in their early 70s, but don’t make the move until they’re 80 or something. I don’t want to wait until I’m a good portion older, like five years older or seven, or 10 years older,” says Terry. “I have the energy now for the move. I’m healthy. I want to enjoy everything about this without having physical problems. Right now, we’re really feeling good and we’re very healthy. We’re going to be able to avail ourselves of what’s there and really enjoy the process of making the move.” “We aren’t dreading it by any means,” Tom adds. “We’re looking forward to it!”
