Tom McCormick is a ‘man of many hats’ at Sweetwater RV Resort. Since he and his wife Cinda came here in 2000, he’s been one of the weekly golf coordinators for 10 of those years. He currently represents all ‘sports’ on the executive committee, and has been involved in the committee for 12 years. He enjoys buying and selling golf clubs at garage sales, as well. Being a past educator, he is often sought out for advice and support. He walks 2 miles to 3 miles a day and wears a ‘tilly-like’ hat.
Tom loves to decorate the large tree right outside his front door. Even when one of the branches was cut off, he still managed to work around it. At Valentine’s Day, a large heart and arrow appeared; for St. Patricks’ Day, a shamrock; and for Easter/Spring, a tulip. Seasonal flags and lighting also get changed, to add to these special effects for all to enjoy.
Betty Keller will turn 80 years old this November. She and her husband, Monty, came to Sweetwater in 1994, when they were looking for a place for themselves and their friends. When they found one, they suggested their friends use it in order to find their own place. They spent their first winter here in 1995.
They lived next door to an avid quilter, so Betty Keller and Susie Parish began to quilt together. They started a small club, which has eventually become the very active Twisted Stitchers Club that we still enjoy here today. When I saw Betty at the St. Patrick’s Day Lunch, with her large hat on, it made me think of her as a sweet ‘Betty quilt.’
Betty and Monty moved to a larger unit in 2000, and she enjoyed having her own washing machine. She tried to encourage people to have fun…she shared a story of buying 12 large dresses from a lady, for 25 cents each. She got 12 men to dress up in them for a Valentine’s contest, and everyone had a good laugh. This led to involvement in talent shows, where she remained focused on people having fun.
(Courtesy of Dale Sanders)
Betty was elected president of the Running Water Club from 2004 to 2007, and she and Monty were king and queen of the park at one point. They loved to dance together, and Monty often said he wanted to be on the dance floor when the good Lord wanted him. Ironically enough, after a round of polka at the January 2014 Coronation Dance, Monty passed out and, sadly, did not recover.
A defibrillator was purchased in his name the following season and was hung in the clubhouse. Training was offered so people would have options in the event of another health episode at functions.
Betty did not come down in 2015, but she resumed her winter getaway in 2016. She continues to quilt and have fun with her friends here. She says she’s quilted for 50 years and there are many picture albums stored in cabinets by the stage that tell the stories of years gone by. Of particular mention, during Betty’s time as president, are the many tables and chairs used in the clubhouse. Betty says that many fundraisers were held in order to purchase these, and they are still being taken care of and used extensively.
Elfriede Pfister is 87 years old and has been coming to Sweetwater for 32 years. She was born in Germany and came to Canada, with her husband and young daughter, in 1960. She currently lives on a lovely treed lot on a lake in Apsley, Ontario. She has two grown children and five grandchildren, ranging in ages from 25 to 32. Her husband passed in 1991, and “Elfi” has continued to fly down on her own for the winter. She still handwrites Christmas letters, in German, to seven of her remaining 33 classmates in Germany, and she is seen as a very strong woman by many of them.
Elfriede was first drawn to Betty because she had a sewing machine set up in the clubhouse. When Elfriede was 18 years old, she worked in a factory environment in Frankfort, doing piecework by sewing pockets on the pants of officers’ uniforms. She describes herself as a crafter, not a quilter, and it was evident by all the handmade items in her Florida home. She used to attend two weekly craft groups and bingo, so she knows people at Settlers Rest as well. She prides herself at making all her husbands shirts in earlier years.
Elfi has many special items, but the ones that made her light up the most were two plastic canvas rabbits (male and female), hung up in her bedroom. They are the first things she sees when she wakes up, and it gives her great pleasure to point out their blues eyes, looking at each other. She also has handmade crochet dolls in many colors on each bed in her Florida and Ontario homes.
Elfriede says she always helped out whenever she could at Sweetwater events. Of particular mention was the yearly strawberry shortcake event. She said she went out for two hours to pick strawberries, then she proceeded to wash and prepare them once she returned.
When Betty lost her husband, Elfriede tried to comfort her as best she could, and they both cried many tears together. She says, “Betty is the best friend anybody could have,” and they keep in touch by phone when they are not together in Sweetwater RV Resort.
By Judy Pearce, Sweetwater RV Resort
Published November 29, 2017
