Kate Giroux & Pam Matthes on Choosing Community, Curiosity and a Joyful Future at Goodwin House Seminary Road
For Kate Giroux and Pam Matthes, reserving an apartment at Goodwin House Seminary Road is about creating space for what matters most.
“We’re making this move joyfully,” Pam says. “We don’t feel like we’re giving anything up,” she continues. “We feel like we’re gaining time, community and the amenities that will help us age better.”
Both Kate and Pam arrive at this exciting decision with full lives already in motion. Pam, a retired wildlife biologist, fills her days with golf, bridge games, painting and reading. She’s currently taking master’s-level coursework and was recently licensed as a lay preacher in the Episcopal Church — something she describes as deeply meaningful. “I’m not going to stop growing,” Pam says simply.
Kate, a retired optician who owned her own business in Arlington, found the decision to move to Goodwin House Seminary Road straightforward. “Everyone just exalts over Goodwin Living,” she says. “It was an easy choice to make.”
Choosing to Stay Active & Live Well
Staying active has long been part of their shared rhythm and life together. Kate and Pam both enjoy archery (a passion Pam traces back to skeet shooting and hunting with her father), and they regularly host friends for dinner. Their lifestyle is already full, and they see it expanding even more at Goodwin House Seminary Road.
For Kate, living well is about balance. “It’s having our own schedule,” she says, “but making sure we stay connected to community.” Volunteer work, staying active in their church community and enjoying the theater are all high on their list.
“I think our activity will probably go up,” Pam says. “We’ll have more time, and I’m especially excited about the fitness center. It will be easier to stay on top of our health.”
Greater Independence with Worry-Free Living
Just as important as what they’re gaining is what they’re leaving behind. Maintaining a single-family home, they admit, has become more responsibility than freedom. “There’s a lot of maintenance,” Kate says. “As we age, we want less stress and less time spent waiting for someone to inspect the heater or fix the plumbing.”
Their decision was also shaped by experience. Having helped their own parents navigate the aging process, they were thoughtful about what mattered most: financial stability, quality and long-term confidence in the organization.
“The biggest issue for me was the financial stability,” Pam explains. “Goodwin Living far outshines competitors and gives us peace of mind. We’re willing to make the commitment because of that stability.”
Kate, who jokes that she’s “the biggest skeptic there is” when it comes to finances, did her homework. What stood out to her was the organization’s strength as well as its commitment to employees. “It’s nice to know that if we need good-quality help, it will be there,” she says.
Sense of Community Matters
What Pam and Kate have felt most clearly so far is the sense of community they get from choosing Goodwin House Seminary Road.
“Community is important,” Kate says. People who insist on staying in their homes don’t always realize how insulated they can become. It’s nice to circumvent that.”
At events with other future residents, they’ve already met others who feel aligned in outlook and energy. “Everyone is so like-minded and full of life,” Kate says.
Pam believes this stage of life deserves a more open conversation. “It’s a stage that should be taken joyfully, not fearfully,” she says. “If we can learn to talk openly about it, we won’t fight it.”
For Kate and Pam, this move represents a willingness to trade maintenance for meaning, to choose connection and community, and to step into what’s next with confidence.
“There won’t be a dull moment,” Pam says. “We’re looking forward to being active and engaged.”
And at Goodwin House Seminary Road, they’ll do exactly that.