Member Spotlight-Joe & Carol Toohey
Joe and Carol weren’t sure where they were going to live after retiring from the Air Force in 2004. They each had spent more than 28 years in the Air Force, 17 of those years hopping across the globe from Japan to Qatar, and mixed in amongst the “overseas years”, they moved between stateside air bases from Florida to Alaska. Carol returned to the states first, and started looking for a place to “finally settle down”. Carol had fond memories of fishing trips with her Dad in the Hill Country, and decided to start looking here first. That was fine by Joe since he was raised in New Jersey and just wanted someplace warm. They both felt it was a case of being in the right place at the right time when they found their home Oak Ridge. They love it here! Between the house and yard there’s always something to challenge Carol’s skills as a Texas Master Gardener and Joe’s as a handyman. Collectively they also enjoy fishing, boating, RVing, antiquing, and just spending a lazy Texas summer day around the pool. Together they raised four wonderful kids, each a success in their own right, and although they haven’t got any grandbabies yet, they’re ready for them. They fended off a constant barrage of arm twisting to give square dancing a go from numerous club member friends for more than two years. They finally succumbed and agreed to go to the free lessons, all the while secretly concealing that this would be their way of finally getting these folks off their backs by telling them, “okay we tried it but it’s just not for us.” As most of you know, that’s not how it turned out. They came to the lessons and have loved every minute of it, and not only the dancing, but the friendship, laughter, and camaraderie as well. Their only regret, “we didn’t listen to our friends sooner.”