Nancy McIntyre has been part of Friends House for 25 years, moving first into one of the original cottages and later to the main building. Here’s her story:

 “I’ve lived at Friends House for 25 years. I lived in one of the original cottages on campus for most of that time, moving to the main building, C wing, just a few years ago.

 My husband, Joseph, and I had planned to move here together, but he died suddenly, so I came alone. We had come to this area after moving around a lot: Massachusetts, Arizona, Puerto Rico, and Georgia. Finally, Joseph became a counselor at Sherwood High School. There, he met several Quaker families. (We were originally members of the Disciples of Christ Church). This proved significant.

   We had three adopted kids and had one biological child. The adopted children were of different racial backgrounds—we were a rainbow family. It was difficult to find a community that was accepting of our diversity. Sandy Spring Friends Meeting proved to be such a place—that was such a lovely experience. We became “convinced” Quakers, which was one of the high points of our lives. It was through this connection that I ended up moving to Friends House. There were people living here whom I had known years before, so that was really a blessing. I loved being involved with people and I got into volunteer work when I came here. I started helping residents in assisted living get together with acquaintances and family members. These days I organize luncheon outings at nearby restaurants for residents. This is such a special place to be. We have so much interaction with people, learning about their lives and sharing about mine . . . It’s a gift from heaven to be here.”