Resident Profile: Meet the Clements

Resident Profile: Meet Bill and Laurie Clement
Interview and Article by Jackie Schroder

If someday you decide to drop in unannounced to the Clements’ home in The Woods, don’t be surprised if they’re not there. Bill and Laurie are inveterate travelers. I found the couple in their lovely sunlit home relaxing after their recent ski trip to Utah.

Bill is no stranger to the great outdoors. Growing up in Cortland, NY, he found many outdoor activities to occupy his youth. After high school graduation he attended Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY where he earned a bachelor and master degree in mechanical engineering. Schooling completed, Bill was offered a job with the DuPont Corp. in Circleville, OH, near Columbus. He worked in plant technical support.

Laurie also grew up in New York, in Larchmont. After graduation she attended Centenary College for Women in Hackettstown, NJ. She went on to Western Reserve University and then to Ohio State University, both in Columbus OH, to earn a degree in Sociology.

Bill and Laurie met on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. They attended an ice hockey game held at Madison Square Garden on their first date. They married in 1966.

In 1968, the couple moved to Wilmington, DE, where their first daughter was born. Bill’s career change into sales took them to Buffalo Grove, IL. for two years. This was followed by eight years in Pittsburgh where their identical triplet daughters were born. The Clements give Pittsburgh a “thumbs-up” as a place to live.

The next DuPont transfer brought the family to their longtime home in West Chester, PA. Once they felt comfortable that there was not another transfer in their near future, Bill and Laurie decided to pursue their dream of building a passive solar house. They moved into the house in 1987 and lived there for 29 years.

Bill worked in a number of marketing and business management positions in the electronic materials business until retiring from DuPont in 1993. He then started a post-corporate career by opening a bike shop in West Chester.

During this time, after the girls were settled in middle school, Laurie worked in an antiques and country craft store. When that store closed, she spent several years working in a daycare center. When Bill opened the bike shop, Laurie worked there too as their business grew.

In 2001, Bill sold the bike shop and took a part time job at Chadds Ford Winery. His job was to make visitors happy while they were tasting their wines. Laurie went on to work at Longwood Gardens as an assistant manager in the gift shop, a place she stayed for twelve years. Bill joined her at Longwood and was the Visitor Center supervisor. They left Longwood in 2013 and shortly thereafter started their search for the perfect Continuing Care Retirement Community.

On their visits to see their daughter in Mt. Gretna, the couple would ride their bikes on the rail trail. They had picked up a Cornwall Manor brochure from the kiosk on the trail. The rest is history. They moved to The Woods in October 2015.

The great outdoors and traveling have been a big part of their lives. While at DuPont, Bill traveled to Asia, Europe, and Israel. Together, Bill and Laurie have visited China, Tibet, Italy, France, Germany, The Scottish Highlands, England, and went “barging” down Canal du Midi and the Garonne Canal in France.

They also found time to take their camper on a seven-week trip to the Southwest, visiting Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. This was followed a year later by a trip to the Northwest to visit Montana, Glacier National Park, Oregon, the Cascades and the Columbia River Val-ley. They even managed to do a little wine tasting along the way. A favorite trip was white-water rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon which took 17 days, a trip with many stops for hikes into the various side canyons.

Another very important part of their lives is spending time with their daughters and six grandchildren. Three daughters and families are within two hours of Cornwall Manor and the fourth is in Salt Lake City, UT.

When they are homebound, Laurie volunteers in the Manor Shop. Both volunteer as greeters at the Health Center and together serve as Neighborhood Resident Representatives for the Grove neighborhood. They are also both representatives to PARCR (Pennsylvania Association of Retirement Community Residents.)

Next on their agenda: a trip to the Panama Canal. Life continues to be an enjoyable journey.

Photo above: Bill & Laurie Clement moved to Cornwall Manor in October 2015.