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...

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. 

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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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

Kirsten and Jurgen's story involves both international emigration and local migration. Their moves first took them from Europe to North America, then from the East Coast to the Midwest. Their most recent moves were local. Very local, in fact: one move was a block away; and their move this fall was just a hop, skip and a jump across town. The Songbird Team and I were thrilled to help this sweet couple with their recent downsize to Kendal--now Otterbein at Granville. Jurgen and Kirsten graciously allowed us to share more about their story as well as a peek inside their cozy new home.   

So where did this...

One of the very best parts of working with our senior downsizing clients is getting to know them on a personal level and learning more about their families, world travels, incredible career accomplishments and other rich life experiences. In this new series of posts, we are privileged to share some of these fascinating stories. We’ll not only learn a little bit about their lives, we’ll also discuss the highs and lows of their downsizing experience.  

To kick it off, I’d love to introduce you to Sue and Chris.   

Sue and Chris first met as students at Denison University and Chris is one...