Retired
And Loving It
Retired
And Loving It
My Early Years
I was born and raised in a typical small city in west central Florida, and lived in the area for most of my life, except for a four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Navy. As a pre-teen, my three brothers and I were raised with minimal supervision and spent most of the day away from home. Dad worked in hotels from Pompano Beach, Florida, to New Hampshire throughout most of his adult life. Mom could usually be found working in her upholstery shop in our backyard when she wasn’t managing our home while Dad was away. Our playgrounds were the golf courses and large yards associated with the hotels, which we took full advantage of. At the age of sixteen, after school hours, I held jobs as an usher at the local theaters or as a service attendant at gas stations, pumping gas and cleaning windshields.
For two summers, I worked in New England, either caddying golf bags on the golf course or working in a hotel print shop printing menus. Then came graduation from high school, my enlistment in the Navy, and four exciting years stationed at air bases or traveling the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans aboard an aircraft carrier.
MY Professional Years
What’s
Next?
My Retirement In A Nutshell
After my honorable discharge from the Navy, I soon married, and our family of two sons began. My professional career spanned just two employers. Initially, I worked for Sperry Microwave for 13 years until an employee downsizing led to my departure. Three weeks later, a startup company interviewed me, and I was hired as their 38th employee. Over the years, I advanced to the position of Director of Manufacturing, helping to build the company into a profitable entity with several thousand employees. In 1989, a Fortune 500 company took notice of our reputation and outstanding products, and they purchased our company for $250 million.
After exactly 25 years of employment, the Fortune 500 company announced that they were selling our division. I was informed that if I did not take my retirement before the sale, I might have to wait until I was 65 to collect my pension, assuming a pension would still be offered. I chose to retire, despite having no clear plan for what would come next or how I would occupy my time.
Consulting
Graphic Artist
Children’s Literacy
Publications
Graphite Pencil
Color Pencil
Artist
Genealogy
“Our Family
The Inside Story“
Woodworking
I knew that I wanted to invest my retirement in hobbies that would allow me to utilize the talents my father passed on to me, particularly woodworking and sketching scenes with lighthouses, barns, old homes, etc. Looking back over my professional life, I also realized I excelled in researching new products while working in R&D departments, but I wasn’t sure how I might utilize that experience in my retirement or even if I wanted to.
I was well into my woodworking and art hobbies when that once-in-a-lifetime phone call came, offering me an outlet for my research experience. At the time, I didn’t realize the opportunity was there nor how much it would affect my retirement.
A relative from Alabama had gotten my name and phone number from another relative and called me. After introducing himself and explaining his relationship to Mom, he asked me if I knew the name of my maternal grandmother. I responded no, that Mom never mentioned her name. That question sparked my interest in genealogy research, which has kept me entertained for more than 25 years into my retirement.
The thumbnail photos represent the hobbies that have kept me busy over my retirement years. Since I do not golf, my retirement is project-oriented. The graphite drawing of the owl was my first-place ribbon winner. The Constitution book cover was designed while I was a consultant for Children’s Literacy Publications. My book, "Our Family: The Inside Story," was a project to compile my family research and a few of the many family stories passed on to me. My most recent project achievement was a western scratch town built for our community model train club.
© Copyright 2025
Richard “Rick” Chancey