I'm delighted to share with you another delightful Songbird Story profile. In this series of interviews and profiles we feature a few of the many amazing humans we have had the good fortune of getting to know better while helping them to transition into their new downsized home. It's an honor to share a few of their career highlights alongside some of their insights when embracing the next chapter of life with grace and gratitude.  

It's a joy to introduce you to Jane. 

From the hustle and bustle of stock trading floors in New York City to tranquil church sanctuaries in Central Ohio, Jane's career spanned the spectrum of both finance and faith.

Born and raised in Upper Arlington, Jane graduated from Columbus School for Girls before going...

One of the joys of working with older adults as we help them downsize and move is learning about their diverse experiences, accomplishments, and cherished memories. 

From war heroes, bestselling authors and trailblazing attorneys to community leaders, composers and accomplished artists, we’ve met some amazing humans over the past seven years. 

It’s a privilege to take in their wisdom, witness their resilience and celebrate their many accomplishments from a life well lived in their new downsized home. We’re honored to share a few of their personal stories and perspectives on downsizing–and life–in this space. 

Stories like Ed’s.  

When we first met Ed, he was no stranger to downsizing. He had previously downsized from a large primary hom...

A large oil painting of a serene mountain, woods and lake scene hangs prominently above the couch in Dave & Jane W's living room at Otterbein Granville. 

"It was my wedding gift from Dave," Jane shares proudly. And it is just one of dozens of Dave's paintings, sketches and portraits that hang in their new home that reflect their lives rich in creativity and purpose. Each cherished art piece that came from the couple's previous residence has helped to make their newly downsized space feel like home. 

. .

Dave & Jane's life together started soon after Dave was transferred from Owens Corning's Toledo operations to the Kansas City area. There, he met Jane, a high school business teacher. After marrying, the couple moved back to Toledo, where...

Songbird Transitions recently worked with Kathie and David to downsize and move from a 2,300- square foot, 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in Upper Arlington to a 2-bedroom, 2-bath 1,200-square foot ranch home at Otterbein Granville. 

In addition to helping Kathie & David sort the many pieces of art, books and collectibles they had accumulated over the 46 years they lived in the same residence, we helped Kathie contemplate the logistics of re-homing plants from her certified wildlife habitat yard to the garden beds outside her new home. 

Kathie & Dave outside their previous home (above) and their new downsized home (below). 

Inside the cozy, comfortable main floor layout of Kathie and Dave's new home is a master suite, office, living room a...

A big part of the downsizing process is helping families sort through all their possessions that accumulate over many years (or decades) while living in the same home. Rather than focusing on what to get rid of, here at Songbird, one of our mottos is: “we help you find the things you want to keep.”  

Once our clients decide on the furniture, décor and other household items they plan to keep for their new downsized space, we help to "re-home" everything else. That process may involve getting furniture to family members, donating items to local charities (what we call the downsizing double win) or selling select items to local vendors. 

For a realistic and up-to-date perspective on what used household items are sellable, we consulted with t...

We want to take the opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the many friends, family, colleagues and clients who make our work so meaningful and fulfilling. 

Because a few words on a card simply aren't enough, we thought it would be more fun to share a Thanksgiving video greeting with you. Click below to see our video greetings: 

You've helped to make this the most impactful year yet for Songbird Transitions. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Hugs & High Fives, 

Sam & the Songbird Transitions team 

Songbird Transitions recently had the pleasure of helping Mary Ellen and Dan downsize from a 2,600-square foot, 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home they had lived in for 17 years and move into a 2-bedroom 1,500-square foot villa at Otterbein Granville.  

We had so much fun working alongside Mary Ellen, a retired English teacher, to determine what furniture, décor and collectibles to keep and what could be sold or donated to local charities—what we call the downsizing double-win. We then completed an “interior re-design" of the new space using all of her favorite pieces. We even helped her pick out paint colors for each room!

Mary Ellen & Dan’s new villa is cozy, comfortable and perfectly reflects both the personality of their previous home and thei...

Downsizing is a "snap" with Songbird! Here's a little before and after video we made for a client who we helped to downsize into a 2-bedroom apartment at Middleton at Granville. We really loved working with this super sweet couple. We helped them sort, pack, deliver unneeded furniture to local charities, move and unpack--including hanging all of their artwork--in three short days. Snap!

Interior design and home decorating have been a big part of Susan’s life. It’s in her DNA, you could say. Susan grew up working in her parents’ store—the oldest furniture store in the state. When not teaching French at the local high school, Susan enjoyed collecting antiques, managing renovation projects and decorating the historic 1898 farmhouse she shared with her husband. Featured on the local tour of homes four times, the property brought tremendous joy to Susan and her family.

After her husband passed away in 2019, rather than trying to maintain the large home and acreage alone, Susan reached out to Songbird Transitions to help her downsize to Middle Senior Living in Granville. Her proactive approach has enabled her to participate in...

Over the past few years, we’ve had the privilege of helping dozens of seniors downsize and relocate to Otterbein Granville (formerly Kendal). This life plan community offers independent living in lovely little cottages, villas and apartments in addition to assisted living and skilled nursing services. There’s a lot to love about Otterbein Granville. With a backdrop of wooded hillsides and wildflower-lined walking paths, Otterbein is well known for its first-class health and wellness facilities and a wide range of activities. The list of authors, artists and musicians who have visited it is long and illustrious. But what makes Otterbein so special are the people who call it home; people like Nancy B.   

In our series of Songbird Story profi...