Cynthia and Tim Croasdaile: Terwilliger Plaza Members
Gail Owen and Terry Dalsemer
Terwilliger Plaza Members
What was your path to Portland, OR?
Cyn: When I first met Tim I was living in Washington, D.C and he was living in Kansas City, MO. Our first home together after we married was in Denver. Tim’s work took us to Chicago, then to Fremont, MI, back to Colorado, and we retired to Portland 13 years ago to be closer to our son and his wife.
Tim, your career brought you and Cyn to these different cities. What type of work were you involved with?
Tim: I led corporate communication and investor relations for Fortune 500 companies, the last of which was the Gerber Products Company. Soon after the company sold in 1994, I went to work for a consulting company in Denver. I worked on corporate positioning, branding, and investor relations for our clients.
What was your career track, Cyn?
Cyn: I worked in public relations until our son was born. Later I began working as a freelance copyeditor. There was no way to hold down a permanent job through all the moves during Tim’s career. And, as it turned out, freelance work suited me right down to the ground.
Tim: Frankly, she is the best copyeditor I know.
Cyn: I’m the only copyeditor he knows.
How did the two of you meet?
Tim: We met in the lobby of the Cloister Hotel in Sea Island, Georgia at a meeting of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PHARMA). Cyn worked in their public relations department, and I was the Director of Public Relations for one of the member companies.
Were you still working when you moved to Portland?
Cyn: We both retired around the same time when we moved to Portland 13 years ago, although Tim has done pro bono work for a few nonprofit organizations here in Oregon.
Tim, what were these projects?
Tim: There is an organization in Salem called the Northwest Hub, which makes bicycles available to people who desperately need transportation – including parolees, refugees, agricultural workers and unhoused individuals. I worked with them to develop a new identity, brand, and positioning statement.
I also worked on a rebrand for Lift Urban Portland, which is an organization that provides food to residents of subsidized housing in the Portland area. At the time, I was a board member for Lift Urban Portland, representing Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
Can you talk about your volunteer involvement with Trinity Episcopal Cathedral?
Tim: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral hosts a community lunch serving about 250 people every Wednesday.
Cyn: We have been volunteering there for 12 years. The program, which has been operating for about 20 years, opens the dining room to anybody who wants to come for a free lunch. I believe that our program stands out because, although it is hosted at Trinity Cathedral, there is nothing institutional about it. There is no means testing, no expectations. We serve soup, salad, a hot entrée, and a dessert and beverage. It has become an important part of our week. We’ve made good friends with our fellow volunteers and look forward to seeing our guests every week.
Isn’t it true that Trinity Episcopal Cathedral also stands out for being known as a progressive, affirming Episcopal cathedral here in Portland?
Cyn: Yes, they are committed to being a welcoming community grounded in radical hospitality.
Have you found Terwilliger Plaza to be a progressive and socially conscious community as well, from resident Members to staff to board members?
Cyn: Absolutely. It is so reassuring to know that we are in a safe and progressive environment with such an interesting and diverse membership.
Tim: One thing that’s really gratifying is the caliber of the staff here. Very professional, and also very friendly. This speaks well for management. It’s clear that employees are respected and appreciated.
What influenced your decision to live at Terwilliger Plaza?
Cyn: We actually made this move into a senior living community earlier than expected. Tim is about to turn 80 years old and I am 75. We had thought we were three to five years out from making this move. We both agreed it was important to know what options were out there.
A few years ago, we put ourselves on another senior living community’s waiting list, but in reality didn’t see ourselves actually living in that community. One day, a year and a half ago, Tim called Terwilliger Plaza and got Teresa Ohmart on the phone. We scheduled a time to visit with the intention that it was just an opportunity to explore. By the end of the day, we had written a check. We felt we were in really good hands with Teresa — she projects such professionalism, anticipating questions that hadn't even occurred to us to ask — we just had a high level of confidence in her and that made the decision easier.
We liked the apartment home we are in now and knew that the availability of apartment homes wasn’t going to be here forever. We also realized that it’s better to give ourselves time to get used to a new situation while we are healthy and to know that as we age there will be support if we need it. We realized that if we waited another three years to make the move, there may not be a place for us – so we decided, let’s do this now. And we are especially glad we made the move while we could still manage all the logistics ourselves.
Tim: It was the right thing to do.
Cyn: I knew we could manage, but I was a bit skeptical that we could do everything we needed to do, from selling the house and all that moving entails in the timeframe we had. Tim said, “we can do this.” That’s a metaphor for our marriage – me: “I’m going to need more time.” Tim: “Nope, we’re good.” In the end, we just worked around all the things that I had thought would get in the way. I saved a lot of time by being ruthless in my purging and downsizing. It felt good to do it.
Tim: She actually took this move as an opportunity to buy new furniture!
What about the option of staying in your own home and bringing in help when needed?
Cyn: While that is an option for many people, it is not what I wanted. I didn’t want to be held hostage in my house waiting for someone to ring the bell when I needed help — or even company. I wanted to be in a community.
Have you found the community you were looking for here at Terwilliger Plaza?
Tim: Living here has freed us. It has opened the ceiling to limitless opportunities. This environment really fits our lifestyle. It’s an incredible place and the outreach of interesting and welcoming people is amazing.
Cyn: What we all have in common here is this lifestyle; living in community in this way. For me, I always knew — I didn’t know exactly when – but I always knew this was the way I wanted to spend the last season of my life.
Are there any special or unexpected moments?
Cyn: When I walk down the hallways and look at the art on the walls, I think about the resident Members involved in the selection, offering their expertise deciding which art goes where. The Skybridge across SW 6th Avenue is also an amazing feature. I walk the Skybridge every day and it doesn’t matter if the sun is shining or not, it is spectacular to be surrounded by the view.
I love having a pool and a Wellness Center that is so accessible and being within walking distance to so many things downtown.
Tim: It’s so vibrant here. Being so close to downtown presents a lot of great opportunities. Last year I went to watch the Portland State University basketball team play at PSU’s beautiful Viking Pavilion for the first time. This year, I have season tickets. The Senior Adult Learning Center at PSU is a total bonus. Many people here take advantage of auditing PSU courses. We can also walk to the Symphony, the Art Museum, the North Park Blocks, and the PSU Farmers Market.
Do you go to the PSU Farmers Market often?
Cyn: We go almost every Saturday. It’s a terrific community gathering.
Tim: Cyn’s a very good cook.
Cyn: The kitchen in our apartment home was a really big selling point for me.
Would it be correct to say that you have transitioned into an uncomplicated life, now living at Terwilliger Plaza?
Cyn: I am very comfortable here. The proximity to the amenities and services at Terwilliger Plaza truly supports an independent lifestyle. And yes, now living here, we can embrace an uncomplicated life. We can go where we want, when we want – in our daily lives, or when we travel. Which we love to do — and I also love coming home to this place.
Tim: Our next trip is an expedition cruise along the fjords of Norway, starting in Oslo, traveling north to Tromsø, above the Arctic Circle. It’s planned for April, so we are hoping to see the Northern Lights.