Our residents hail from all over the country and have a wide variety of backgrounds. They hold numerous types of degrees and have enjoyed many kinds of careers.
Yet each has chosen to make our community their home. If you ask a resident to name the best thing about Springmoor, you’re likely to be told, “It’s the people!”
Liz Ramey and Christina Davis live in the same area of the Springmoor campus and moved in only eight days apart in February 2021. Both enjoy meeting new people. Each of these adventurous women traveled the United States extensively via motorhome with their husband prior to joining our retirement community.
Meet Liz Ramey
Liz Ramey is what North Carolinians call a “halfback.” Born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania (pop. 10,000), life took her south to Florida, then “halfway back” to Raleigh. Witty and gregarious, Liz enjoys recounting her small-town life as the daughter of a grocer and his Northern Irish wife.
While most of her classmates got married right out of high school, Liz decided to become a nurse. She got her RN at a nursing school linked to the local hospital, and, with her fellow trainees, split the day between the classroom and patient care.
Training was all very traditional, Liz recalls. “We wore starched white aprons and recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge every morning at chapel.”
Liz became an obstetrical nurse, caring for the babies of her high-school classmates. She loved the job. She also taught basic nursing classes.
Foreseeing a career in nursing education, Liz got a grant to enroll in the University of Pittsburg and earn a bachelor’s degree. It was a transformative experience in more ways than strictly educational. “If you’re 23 years old in a small town, you’re an old maid; if you’re 23 in a college town, you fit right in!”
At a church square dance, she met a young Westinghouse engineer, Don Ramey, and they married in 1966. “He spoiled me!” She recalls, smiling fondly.
The couple had two children, Janet and David. In 1983, Don was transferred to Winter Park, Florida. Liz taught nursing. The kids grew up and headed off to college. There was volunteer work, church, and travel.
In 2000, Don and Liz retired. They bought a Roadtrek campervan and joined a band of fellow adventurers on planned itineraries exploring America. Five years later they sold their Florida home and moved to North Carolina where their children and grandchildren live.
Their travels continued, but Liz and Don began planning for the next phase of their lives. From fellow members of the choir at Edenton Street United Methodist Church, they heard about Springmoor and put their names down, expecting a long wait.
Sadly, Don died early in 2020, felled by fast-moving pancreatic cancer. Less than a year later, Liz was moving into her new East apartment, which her daughter has decorated beautifully. Though missing Don every day, Liz looks on her move to Springmoor as a new adventure.
Meet Christina Davis
Christina Davis likes traveling and meeting new people. Moving to a new place doesn’t worry her; it’s what she’s done many times in her life. In fact, she and her late husband traveled all over America in their motorhome, stopping to explore or to visit friends along the way.
“I think we visited every single state,” she recalls, smiling. “Wait, we might have missed North Dakota.”
Christina was born in Georgia and still retains some of that Peach State accent. However, her family moved to the Washington, DC, area when she was still a baby. Her dad worked there as a printer for several Washington newspapers.
She graduated from Fairfax High School and Northern Virginia Community College. However, Navy man James (“JT”) Davis soon won her heart, and they moved to Naval Air Station Pensacola and, later, Naval Air Station Jacksonville. After the Navy, JT joined the Federal Aviation Administration, working at the Air Traffic Control Center in Leesburg.
Christina worked in a variety of administrative positions. Her most interesting, she says, was at the Mitre Corporation, translating technical documents from “engineer-speak” into the kind of English other people could understand.
After JT retired, the couple decided to leave the DC area. “It was getting too congested and too expensive,” Christina recalls.
They moved to Cary, where she had family. They joined the First Baptist Church of Raleigh and made many friends. They traveled.
Christina became a real estate agent, a job she loved because she enjoys getting to know people. A good agent, she says, has to be a very good listener.
JT passed away in 1997. One son lives in the Northern Virginia area, another lives in Cary, and their daughter has settled in Massachusetts. A fourth son, sadly, passed away. Christina has 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Finally, the time came for Christina to downsize and make a decision. What led her to choose Springmoor? “It’s simple,” she laughs. “Half my Sunday School class from First Baptist is here already!”
Thank you to Springmoor resident Ann Sides for interviewing both Liz and Christina and providing this information so we can get to know them better!
If you’re already on our waitlist, we’re once again able to welcome you to our campus to participate in a fitness class in our Pathways Wellness Center or join one of our card groups for a game of bridge. Most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. For everyone’s safety, we ask that anyone not fully vaccinated wear a mask.
If you’re interested in senior living communities in Raleigh, give us a call at 919-848-7080 so that we can answer your questions. Click here to fill out a short form online to request a free information packet or schedule an appointment for a COVID-safe, personalized tour. Our friendly staff looks forward to meeting you soon!
