After 40 years as an IRS attorney, Gerry Horan of Naperville found a new family and activities in retirement.
That’s what he told Aurora Lions Club members November 6 as guest speaker at the club’s bi-weekly membership luncheon at Monarch Landing senior living community in Naperville.
In after-lunch opening remarks, Monarch sales director Kristen Drees welcomed Aurora Lions. She said the facility, on a 60-acre campus at Rt. 59 and Ferry Road in Naperville, houses 450 residents. Offerings are 30 floor plans, independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled nursing services. A Type C community, it charges residents fees for health care services only when they need them, along with options for dining, activities, fitness, and other amenities.
Amenities include a heated swimming pool, woodshop, fitness classes, dining rooms, and walking paths.
Lion Susan Koepke, a former Auroran who recently moved to Monarch with her husband, introduced Horan. In an informal testimonial, he pulled up a chair in front of the group and praised Monarch for its activities and amenities and took questions. According to Horan, he and his wife left their longtime Naperville home to become second-generation Monarch residents following his parents who became residents earlier.
He added, “I didn’t have to give up my Naperville friends and Chicago-area outings.”
Horan said living at Monarch inspired him to become an adjunct (part time) instructor at College of DuPage. He is leading a fall class on vintage film comedians that will feature clips from the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy and others.
For more information about Lions International, visit lionsclubs.org.
—Al Benson