Pacifica Senior Living Blog

This March 8th is International Women’s Day and we want to take a moment to highlight some of the amazing women residents at Pacifica Senior Living and Meridian Communities. As we celebrate Women's Day, we want to share the accomplishments, stories, careers, and lives of the women of Pacifica. Each of these women has a unique and inspiring story that can be a light to others forging their own path.

Irma C., from Kenmore Senior Living, has overcome a lot to be where she is today. Born and raised in East Prussia, she is a Holocaust survivor who experienced the tragedies of World War II firsthand. Eventually, she moved to the United States and became an active member of her community.

She loves giving back and being involved in local activities, and she helps to run church services, a bible study, and journal club. She also likes to stay active by exercising daily and making arts and crafts projects with her friends. Irma also enjoys playing the piano, and can often be found serenading others in the community common room.

At Victoria Court, Antonette H. loves gardening, reading, and photography. A former psychologist, school administrator, and Ph.D. holder, she has been an amazing asset to her community. Antonette (or Tony) spent her career working in special education in the California School District.

Her passion and life mission was always to help children in need, and offer the best education to all. Her dedication and commitment to this dream helped so many children develop and grow, creating their own bright futures. She is very proud of her own education, and her work with children, but is especially proud of her daughters, who themselves are amazing women.

Sally, aka “Sass” is a resident of the Meridian at Westwood. She graduated from the University of North Alabama and enlisted in the Navy’s Officer Candidacy School where she graduated with the rank of Lieutenant JG as a Communications Officer during the Korean War.

Sally then met and married a Naval Aviator, and resigned from her commission to have children - as was the requirement for women at the time- going on to raise her children as a single mother.

She later received her Master’s Degree from the University of Alabama and established a Civil Service career as a Contracting Officer where she worked for 30 years on a variety of high profile contracts and projects from NASA to the Airforce. 

She also served in the Army Reserves and the National Guard and was active with the Civil Air Patrol. Her wanderlust even landed her in Tehran, Iran where she managed the Bell Helicopter Contract with the Iranian Government. As an avid reader, she now feeds her desire for adventure mostly through books, but we think she should write one herself – hers is a life well lived!

Ardith S. from the Meridian at Stone Creek is a trailblazer who constantly forged her way among male-dominant circles and careers. She has the distinction of being the very first female police officer in the Tacoma Police Department, where she was promoted to an investigator, and also became the first woman polygraph operator. Ardith also proudly served as a Colonel in the United States Army.  Ambitious, driven, and determined, she never let being ‘the first’ stop her, and her drive paved the way for many incredible women who followed in her footsteps.

Ardith has also always been an avid sports fan. In college and high school, she played on basketball and volleyball teams and she continues to enjoy both participating in and watching sports in her retirement. In her downtime, she loves to sing and spend time with her cats, Mr. Bentley Purrs A Lot and Spunky. The team at The Meridian at Stone Creek is honored to serve such a trailblazing woman. We hope her story continues to inspire women everywhere to fight for their dreams.

Christine M. is a California native who was born and raised in LA county. When she was young, a polio scare threatened her family, and caused her mother to be paralyzed and on a permanent ventilator. Despite this, her mom continued to run the household and be the matriarchal figure for Christine and her 6 siblings.

This brush with severe illness, though, was what led her to seek a career in nursing, and she worked at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina in cardiac care for 35 years. In retirement, she met her partner Mary and together they traveled all over the world before settling at West Park Senior Living.

We have so many amazing women across our properties full of inspiring stories. From military colonels to teachers, to Civil Servants, these women - and so many others at Pacifica - embody the drive, determination, and passion we want to celebrate on this International Women’s day.

Thank you for blazing the way for so many other amazing women who have followed in your footsteps and taken inspiration from your lives and accomplishments.

To see more stories of our amazing residents, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages, or come meet some of these amazing women at your local Pacifica community.

Join us for activities and fun, or chat over a complimentary lunch. We can’t wait to meet you and share our stories together.