It Happened in Crawford County: Ron and Peggy Chatfield find Bucyrus to be home sweet home
Editor's note: This is a second of a two-part story about Ron and Peggy Chatfield. The first part was published Feb. 25.
Last week's story centered on Ron Chatfield becoming a veterinarian, securing interesting career moves and a career change.
Ron was now 55 and having been relocated, merged and "downsized" (fired), he found himself too young to retire and too old and tired to look for another veterinary position. After much discussion, Ron and Peg decided to open a home furnishing retail store featuring cabin furniture and décor in Alpena Michigan on Lake Huron.
Alpena was chosen because when they lived in Texas, they had a small vacation cabin built on Grand Lake just north of Alpena and had planned on retiring in that area. The cabin didn’t have a furnace; it was only used in the summers before their relocation, so a furnace was added.
The name of the store was In Other Woods, and it sold not only manufactured goods but local original artwork as well. This was a whole new chapter in their lives and one that saw a drastic reduction in income and a whole new learning curve regarding careers, but one that was more than compensated by the improved quality of life.
Enjoying rural life, community involvement
Despite a greater Alpena area population of only about 12,500 people, it was the largest city within about 125 miles and they grew very fond of small-town living. The county where they lived north of Alpena did not have a single traffic light. Alpena was the "Big Apple" so to speak for Northeast Michigan.
They ran the store for seven years and became very involved in the town business community and made many friends along the way. Ron and a group of friends from their church formed a gospel band and played country gospel music at area senior centers, retirement homes and food banks.
After selling the retail business, they stayed in the area for another 13 years. But having all their family back in Central Ohio, they decided it was time to move "home."
After much searching, a Bucyrus checked all the boxes
They started looking for housing and quickly learned things had changed considerably since they had left in the early '80s. What were once agricultural areas around Columbus were now subdivisions and shopping malls. Heavy traffic, crime rate, high cost of housing, etc., almost made them re-think their decision to move back.
They ventured as far west as Plain City, Hocking Hills, Granville and Mount Vernon in search of finding a community resembling Alpena. On the eve of heading back to Michigan, after a frustrating several days house hunting, they found a Bucyrus home listed on Zillow that got their attention.
This home seemed to check all of the boxes, but they had no idea about the town culture. On the way back to Michigan the next day, they went through the house in Bucyrus and decided right there and then that it was meant for them.
They took a brief tour of the town and liked what they saw. While it lacked birch trees and a sparkling clear lake, here was a small town about the size of Alpena with no traffic, affordable housing and with a small-town feel. Besides, where else could you find a huge corn and soybean field on either side of the road within the city limits. They were smitten and deemed it must be divine intervention that brought them here.
Food for thought — how often do we think about how people outside our city view us?
The search for a dump lead to their church home
After moving in, finding a church became a priority, and it was by accident they found one. The new home had overgrown landscaping that needed to be replaced, resulting in a lot of brush and debris. They heard about the city-operated compost collection site off Southern Avenue for such material.
Ron headed out with a pickup truck load looking for said place. Missing the sign for the dump site, he continued on and came to Wayside Chapel. Seeing it was a nondenominational church and very close to home, he decided to check it out on the internet once he found the dump and unloaded his brush. Finding the church's mission statement and Bible teaching focus was all they needed, they made a visit and have been active members ever since.
Life for the Chatfields is very full. Ron's hobbies include woodworking, fishing and playing guitar. Now in their 80s, he and Peggy have been married 63 years and have been truly blessed. They are enjoying being close to their children, Craig and Susie, 11 grandkids, 17 great grand kids (including four sets of twins), living in a great neighborhood and attending a great church.
Life for them is indeed very good, and they thank God every day for it.
Go online for more of Mary Fox’s stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Ron and Peggy Chatfield and their decision to retire in Bucyrus
