Silver and Gold, New Friends and Old

“Usually at this time I’d be at the JCC working out,” Norm remarks.

In fact, it was the proximity to the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (OFJCC) and its exercise facilities that first intrigued the Rossens when they heard that a new retirement community on a multigenerational campus – part of the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life in Palo Alto, Calif. – was in the works. “Norm has gone to the JCC three mornings a week forever,” says Nancy. “The idea that he could figuratively roll out of bed and be at the gym within minutes was really appealing.”

The Rossens attended early informational meetings about Moldaw and liked what they heard. So they made the commitment, selecting one of 12 three-bedroom corner apartments. Theirs is on the fourth floor of the complex, with a balcony on two sides and a view of the hills. On October 26, 2009 – opening day – they were the first people to move in.

Moldaw Family Residences is everything the two expected – and more, they concur. “It’s a beautiful facility, with an outstanding and responsive staff and a plethora of programming choices,” says Nancy. “But what sets us apart is that we’re a community, and that’s something you can’t know about ahead of time.”

Nancy, who is president of the Resident Association, envisioned living among a group of active people who care about each other. And that, she says, is what they have found in their new home. “That’s the single most wonderful thing that’s happened here. We have a very caring community.”

Norm and Nancy celebrated their tenth anniversary in October 2011. This is a second marriage for both, after the death of their longtime spouses. Norm, 84, grew up in Alexandria, Va., and moved to the Bay Area to work in the space industry. “He was a rocket scientist,” Nancy quips. Nancy, 79, arrived from Houston in 1950 to attend Stanford University and never left. She ran her own financial advisory business for 25 years.

In addition to their many outside involvements, there are wonderful activities happening just across the campus’s courtyard that fill the Rossens’ busy lives even more. The Albert & Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall hosts a range of theater performances, concerts and lectures, and at the OFJCC there are a variety of classes, plus the aforementioned fitness center with a pool, water aerobics, exercise classes, and yoga – all but a short stroll from their doorstep.

At the gym, Norm’s routine includes floor exercises, machine weightlifting, and riding the stationary bike. "That’s also where I get my reading done,” he says.

The gym is one of the places their grandchildren go when they visit, to swim and play Ping-Pong. They are also inclined to join their grandparents for dinner in the Moldaw dining hall, Nancy says, and she understands why: “The food’s excellent.”

The Rossens have discovered old friends at Moldaw, “people we knew from Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, where we were members,” Norm says. There are also many residents from outside the Bay Area, making for “an active, vital group of independent seniors,” Nancy adds. “Lots of new friendships have developed and our networks are broadening.

“We’re not unique in being very happy here. We’re building a new community. When we look back at our first day here and then see what Moldaw is today, we know that something really great has been created.”