Sagewood Living – “Like Living on a Cruise Ship That Never Leaves Port”

Packing up and moving across the country can sound overwhelming. But for Steve and Bonnie Crosby, it turned out to be the right choice.

The Crosbys moved to Sagewood nearly three years ago. Not only were Steve and Bonnie moving out of their home, a major move in itself, they were coming from Naples, Fla., nearly 3,000 miles away. “We looked at about 10 places in Florida,” said Steve. “We looked at several places in Phoenix, too. We really did our homework.”

The Crosbys were happy to learn about Sagewood when researching a listing of Continuing Care Communities in Phoenix. After reading more about what Sagewood had to offer, they decided to visit the community for themselves. As soon as Bonnie walked in, she knew Sagewood was the place where they were meant to be.

With the help of marketing consultant, Nancy Jameson, the Crosbys had all questions answered and more. “It’s because of Nancy that we’re here. We were looking for continuing care, number one,” said Bonnie. “We looked at different communities we really liked, but they didn’t always provide continuing care. We knew we needed a place that was going to take care of us, no matter what happened. The community we were going to call home had to be also of the best reputation,” said Steve.

Perhaps what sealed the deal is the fact that their son, Ford and his wife Katie, along with their three grandsons, are in nearby Scottsdale. Spending time with family has been wonderful for Steve and Bonnie.

Bonnie greatly enjoys the activities that Sagewood offers, especially participating in Sagewood’s Institute of Life Long Learning, for which she has presented lectures.

Additionally, Steve enjoys taking full advantage of the fitness offerings at Sagewood, particularly the swimming pool and gym. “With two pools, there’s no excuse for people our age not to exercise,” he said. Bonnie also loves the delicious and quality food served at Sagewood.

Bonnie, a former professional dancer, availed herself of the excellent physical therapy services while recuperating from hip replacement at Acacia Health Center.

A major project for Bonnie was Through a Blue Lens, a book she wrote shortly after her father passed away. “My dad was the official photographer for the Brooklyn Dodgers,” Bonnie explained. “After he passed, I wanted to show the world just how talented he really was.” Putting her plan into action, Bonnie rescued her father’s photographs and, with the help of a co-author, turned the pictures into a book. The pictures in the book are accompanied by her father’s writings.

“This book is my way of paying tribute to my dad,” said Bonnie. In addition to Through a Blue Lens, Bonnie has been working on her memoirs. She looks forward to sharing her life with her grandchildren. There is a Sagewood writers group that meets to encourage and critique each other’s writings on life memories.

Steve is a trained pianist and within recent years, has found himself coming back to music and the arts, both as a performer and lecturer. His retirement life has developed very differently than his working years as a specialist in global financial risk. Steve is also a singer, currently in the choir at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale. He is also a choral composer with a premier of one of his works, presented this past Spring.

“There are so many things always going on at Sagewood,” said Bonnie. “I love it. Sagewood encourages people to do whatever they want.” The Crosbys are enjoying every day at Sagewood, and say they love living here. Bonnie puts it best by saying, “living at Sagewood is like living on a cruise ship that never leaves port.”