Meet Your Neighbor

Pat was born and raised in Maryland and moved to California in 1965. Her career was in education where she worked for the Riverside County Office of Education and Special Education, Juvenile Hall and Home Arrest. She most enjoyed working with challenged youth in their high school years. Before retiring in 1997, Pat also had her own commercial landscaping business and interior design business and modeled at the Marriott just gorgeous fun!

Pat has a daughter and son, six grandkids, and will be blessed with a great grandson in March. She raised her children in the desert and has been living here for over 44 years. Since she moved to Sun City Shadow Hills in 2011, she has been providing services to people with special needs, dementia, and age-related challenges. She runs errands, drives people to doctor appointments and provides Palm Springs airport transportation. She does it all.

At Shadow Hills Pat enjoys Tuesday Night Putters, Let’s Meet and Eat, Lady Putters, bingo, pool, and loves to play card games. Her passion is dancing but most important are her friends – who describe her as vivacious and fun, the energizer bunny, and always loving and supporting of others. In return, Pat says the best part of Shadow Hills is all the wonderful, loving friendships God has blessed her with.

Interestingly at one point last year, Pat felt compelled to move to Hawaii to be near her family. She sold everything and then 3 1/2 months later she realized how much she missed her life here.

About a week after her return, she met Georgia Olivas, the love of her life at age 79! Pat and George want people to know that this has been God’s plan to put them together-they have been blessed by the Lord . Pat says “there is still life and LOVE in your 70s!!”

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

It’s safe to say that Marcia Daniels is a volunteer with a capital “V.”

Marcia and her husband Howard moved into their newly built Shadow Hills home in 2017. Marcia fell in love with the community from day one and considers it to be a wonderful place to come home to every day. She and Howard have been married for 52 years and, as Marcia puts it, they have a very blessed, strong partnership and support each other in every way.

Marcia was born and raised in Hollywood. She and Howard adopted two children.

After graduating from medical school in 1978, Marcia completed a psychiatry residency at UCLA Medical School in 1982.

Her life’s passion is being of service to others by organizing people and projects. At a young age, Marcia was involved in fundraising by collecting food, putting on dances, and making sock dolls, just to name a few. In 2018, she joined the Woman's Club of Indio where people of all different types and backgrounds come together to make the community a better place. Marcia says there is something for everyone with many ways to serve the community.

At Woman’s Club of Indio, Marcia is a Community Action Chair. She organizes and leads the collections for the Galilee Center and the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. At CVRM, besides collections, Marcia also helps with monthly meal services, prepping and serving food as well as assisting with the kids at the Women’s Life Center and organizes letter and card writing for Seniors.

Another of her passions is Jewish Family Services, a nationwide organization. Marcia is an active member helping to raise money through their Auxiliary. The money is used for people needing assistance with food, clothing, shelter, medical bills, educational and childcare expenses. Through Jewish Family Services she is also involved with Cafe Europa which supplies services for holocaust survivors.

And in her spare time, Marcia is a member of Brandeis Desert Chapter where she helps with fundraising for the university.

Wow! Truly amazing! As Marcia says, as a doctor she listened to people who had hard times and she has continued to do this all her life. It definitely floats her boat!

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

Richard grew up in Kamloops, BC as one of 8 siblings. If his parents were still alive today, they would have had 41 grandkids and 61 great grandchildren. Their family holidays were so large, one year they even had to rent a hall for Christmas dinner!

Richard and his spouse, Valerie, became friends at 12 years old and will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary in February of this year. In 2011, they moved to SCSH as snowbirds and they summer in BC. They have a daughter and son with five grandchildren. Richard is a member of the Mens Golf Club, Tutta Bella and Tuesday Night Putters. Together they enjoy golfing, camping in their 5th wheel and traveling all over the world.

Richard loves change. In the past If he was not starting a new project, he was building or renovating a home or buying a new car. Since the age of 12, he developed a passion for cars, sports and luxury brands. His favorite was a Porsche 911. Loved it so much he had four in succession! Boating is another passion. One of their most interesting experiences was helping some friends transport a sailboat from Greece to Turkey. You’ll have to ask Richard about this memorable adventure.

Richard joined his Father’s Mechanical Construction Company, managing and owning it for 45 years. The business was Commercial and Industrial dealing with ventilation, plumbing and fire protection. He is still involved doing the financial monitoring and forecasts with his son who is the third generation to take over the company.

As Richard says, “Being in the construction business always had me looking to improve whatever I had”. As you can see, he was always looking for something new….. a project, a challenge. Change was always good for him.

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

Fred was born in the “Big Apple,” grew up in the Eastchester New York area and moved to San Diego in 1971. After slowly adjusting to life in Southern California, he worked in a real estate appraisal office in La Mesa. He obtained his sales license in 1974 and moved to the rustic town of Julian, east of San Diego. There he became a “mountain man,” living the simple bachelor life on a small apple farm with his beloved dog Sam Beau. He met his wife Cathy in San Diego and they were married at St. Elizabeth’s Church in Julian on a cold and snowy day in 1978.

After the birth of their daughter Kacey in 1984, Fred’s brokerage flourished for over 20 years. After the “Cedar Fire” in 2003, they sold everything and moved to Mendocino/Little River on the wild and woolly North Coast where they lived for more than 12 blissful years.

Since moving to Sun City Shadow Hills five years ago, Fred and Cathy have taken many enjoyable road trips and cruises, including an Iceland-too-Norway cruise in 2022.

Fred is a proud member of the Swedish Viking Vasa Club in Palm Desert and the Classic Movie Club here in Shadow Hills. One of Fred’s favourite quotes is “Life is good just as long as you don’t weaken.” So true! Fred says that he and Cathy are trying hard to stay strong “one blessed day at a time here at Sun City Shadow Hills”.

Written by Fred Nielsen

Barb Budd and her husband Bill moved to SCSH in 2013 from Oswego, Oregon and now spend their summers in Vail, Colorado. After 51 years of marriage, they celebrate their wonderful family of three daughters and four grandsons.

Barb is a member of the Classy Niners Golf Club and has served in various positions through the years. Also belongs to the Over the Hill Hiking Club. In the past has served on the Golf Advisory Committee (GAC) and has been a member of Paper Crafters and Lady Putters.

Barb’s background was a Primary & Intermediate Grade School Teacher for 30 years (retired in 2013). When asked what her favorite grade was, she responded, “the grade I’m in right now!”

When she is not golfing or reading, Barb is hiking! Hiking is definitely her passion! When Bill could not run marathons they started training to walk half marathons. This led to hiking longer distances. Can you imagine hiking the Camino de Santiago, and in Portugal – the Fisherman’s Trail in the south and Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago. Last year they included the Via Francigena from Lucca to Rome. They have done it all. This May 2024 they are training to hike the Via Podiensis Camino in France. Truly Amazing!

With hiking, Barb enjoys being immersed in local culture and serenity and just being out in nature and meeting people from all over the world. Like Barb says “Everyday hiking is like opening up Christmas presents, you never know what you are going to see.”

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

Michael Roman is such a humble man – so much talent exists within him.

He was born in Hawaii, grew up in northern Virginia, and moved west in 1998. From 2002 to 2019, he owned an alpaca ranch in Hemet, CA. This was home for 65 alpacas, two donkeys, two pet birds, two dogs, and a potbelly pig. Wow! The animals brought him so much joy and he knew them all by name – Bessie Mae and Ida Claire, just to name a couple.

Michael met his wonderful husband, Ronnie Clark, 3-1/2 years ago, right after he had moved to SCSH. Together they adopted Parker, the family dog – 25 pounds of pure joy! Michael has joined the Shadow Hills Rainbow Club, Paper Crafters, and a bowling league. One of his other passions is remodeling his home where he finds “such a joy working on my house and watching it transform into something so beautiful.”

Michael is also an accomplished painter. His paintings are influenced by the historical homes and buildings he so much appreciated growing up in Virginia. When people observe his paintings such as a Rusty Car or Well-Worn Boat, they comment that this reminds them of their grandfather or a time in their youth. Painting has been Michael’s lifelong passion – it has been a very exciting, humbling journey advancing his art. He has been shown in two local galleries in Palm Springs.

Check out his website: DMRoman.com.

As Michael says, “Life is pretty amazing!”

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

Kathy Pettit has been a resident here since 2005, having purchased one of the first homes available. After growing up in Torrance, California, she attended junior college and a culinary arts school – evident today in her gourmet cooking skills. Just ask her friends!

But then at age 24, she created a career opportunity that dreams are made of. Kathy and a colleague developed an innovative approach to shipping garments long distances from warehouses to large retailers such as Target. Their efficient, streamlined methods allowed them to establish their own company including two huge warehouses employing over 200 full-time workers. Kathy’s eyes still sparkle when she talks about the experiences she had shepherding the expansion across most southwestern states, She travelled extensively for almost 30 years to ensure quality control and human resource development. In those days, women were not always welcome by the male-dominant industry of truckers and consolidators, but Kathy’s integrity and expertise won their respect. “It was a different culture in those days,” recalls Kathy. “There was no political correctness. You just accepted it the way it was.”

In 1997, she met her husband, John Delaney, who was a scratch golfer and gifted skier. They spent their summers in Aspen, Colorado, and their winters here in Shadow Hills. In the early days of Shadow Hills, Kathy remembers how the small community of residents banded together and supported each other. She finds that spirit of kindness, generosity and sharing still alive here today. She lost John to complications of Covid two years ago, but her friends and neighbors are always there to help her carry on. She speaks warmly of two neighbors, both guys, who stop by whenever they see her garage door open to see if she needs help with anything. She is surprised by how many single women there are here in Shadow Hills.

Kathy started the Niners Golf Club many years ago and is currently involved with the Desert Gardeners Club and Line Dancing. She most appreciates the warmth of this community, the quality of the amenities, and the scope of what our monthly dues cover compared to most other communities. When asked what she would pass on to others, she replied, “Be kind to your neighbors, no matter who they are.”

Written by Marje Burdine, Information Advisory Committee

“Live your life because tomorrow is a rumor” -- and that’s how Bob Bailey lives his life. He is known as the 10-Million-Dollar Man given his triple heart bypass, six heart attacks, 13 stints, a pacemaker, type 1 diabetes for 68 years, and only one eye for 13 years! And he just keeps on going. On a typical day, Bob wakes up at 3:00 a.m. to watch the stock market open, with his cat Dolly on his lap.

Bob grew up in New Jersey and worked on Wall Street for 32 years where he met Nancy, his wife of 26 years. They have a son, a grandson and three great- grandchildren. They moved to Sun City Shadow Hills, Phase 3, eleven years ago from San Marcos, California.

Bob loves “the people” in SCSH who are so active and enjoying retired life. He plays golf when his health permits and is a member of the Men’s Golf Club. He is also passionate about cars. He has owned 147 cars over the years including his favorite, a 1980 Rolls Royce. Bob plays Poker three times a week and also enjoys Hand & Knee. He has a great sense of humor and loves to tell jokes. If you asked Nancy, she would say “some jokes are funny”!

He ended our interview with, “If my life was a baseball game, I’m playing the 18th inning”.

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

What an interesting life Wally Barbour has had! He was born in Los Angeles and moved twelve times from birth till 9th grade, attending three junior high schools. Growing up, his grandfather was Head of Makeup at Paramount Studios. Just imagine being dropped off as a child at Paramount with his grandfather and attending lots of casting crew parties. One of his fond memories is “Haus” from Bonanza dressed up as Santa Claus and passing out gifts to the kids.

Wally and his wife of 35 years Dana (a two-time survivor of breast cancer) have an “amazing” son. He also has a sister, cousin, aunt & In-laws all living in Sun City Shadow Hills. Wally & Dana bought in Phase 3 in 2010 and moved there full time from Pasadena in 2015. When not on the golf course or bowling, he spends time in his wonderful organic garden or woodworking on some new project he is tackling. In his spare time he maintains the computer website for both the Mens Golf Club & Lively Liners, co-chairs the Dames & Dudes Tournament & is active on the Emergency Preparedness Committee. Wow!

Wally retired from Aerospace Software Consulting and is still working part time doing software development. His education is in software engineering with undergrad studies in computer science, math & geology.

What does he love about SCSH? “The people, the quietness, the gated community and all the activities.”

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee

Chris Mokricky was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and moved to Southern California at age 12. At 19, she married Bob, the Love of Her Life. Chris and Bob moved to Sun City Shadow Hills from Rancho Cucamonga in 2017.

During their 54 years together, they had two “wonderful “ sons and two “fabulous “ granddaughters. Chris is from a family of seven children. Family is everything to her.

While bringing up her boys, Chris was a school teacher for 20 years. Wanting to further her career, she attended the University of Laverne while working full time to obtain her undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science and a Masters in Organizational Management. This enabled her to become a high school English teacher, a career she loved until retirement in 2009.

Chris’s favorite activities are Golfing, playing Hand & Foot, Bunco and Mahjong, as well as traveling. She has held many positions with the Classy Niners Club and currently represents the Club on the GAC - Golf Advisory Committee.

Her message to all “We are SO Lucky!”

“When Bob passed away in February 2021, the women here especially, but their husbands as well, were so kind and helped me to get through it all. I am SO GRATEFUL every single day for this community!”

Written by Barb Thomas, Information Advisory Committee