Question: You mentioned the 4-H Club was important to you. How so?
Answer: Growing up, I belonged to a 4-H club. I was shy and wasn’t really sure what I was going to do in 4-H, but someone encouraged me and so I raised chickens, of all things. I got a little more interested from there, so I continued with it for several years and enjoyed it immensely. I actually met my wife Gloria through 4-H, as well. We were on a train to Chicago for a 4-H event when we met and I have a friend that always jokes, ‘And he’s been carrying her suitcase ever since.’
After 4-H, I ended up in the place I felt suited me best, but the program helped me really focus in on what my interest was, which as it turned out was horticulture. And that’s what I pursued. It was a good opportunity to learn ourselves, what our interests were and what our skills were.
My wife and I established a garden center and landscape operation in Saint Charles and we worked in that for 23 years. The two of us were partners making that adventure happen and I think aside from having our two daughters, it was the most fulfilling thing we ever did. As far as the work was concerned, it was exciting to see people get involved in the plant world. It was cool to be able to augment and facilitate their interests and it was just a fun time.
We worked very long hours, seven days a week for 23 years, and yet I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. It was really a good opportunity to use both mine and Gloria’s skills to meet our customers’ needs. – Bob Fridley, resident Friendship Village Chesterfield
#WeAreFriendshipVillage #independentliving #seniorliving #retirementcommunity #FVatHome #assistedliving #MemoryCare #homehealth #skillednursing #rehabilitation
The above photo and text are part of a year-long project we call We Are Friendship Village. We are posting these photos and brief interviews to our website’s blog section every day as we talk with residents at Friendship Village Chesterfield and Friendship Village Sunset Hills. The idea is to give a short introduction to the residents who make up our wonderful senior living communities and give you a peek at something you might not know about them!
After a year of gathering interviews and photos, we will publish A BOOK featuring all the great residents who participated. AND PARTICIPANTS get A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK! During this year, we will also be sharing these photos and stories on Facebook and other social media such as Instagram, so look for them and please follow the hashtag #WeAreFriendshipVillage to stay current with the project!
We think it’s a great chance to share a bit about who we are! Residents’ participation takes less than ten minutes, so it won’t take much time to be a part of it and we think everyone will enjoy getting to know their neighbors and friends a little bit better!
If interested in participating (or know someone else who might be), feel free to give us a call at (314) 270-7837 or email at nagysteve@fvstl.com or drop by the marketing suites in Sunset Hills or Chesterfield. We have 365 of these to do over the course of the year, so everyone is welcome!
We look forward to seeing you as we get to share insights about the senior living residents who are making our Friendship Village retirement communities so great!
Thanks again!