Second-Generation Residents Follow Parents to Butterfield
Butterfield Trail Village is seeing a growing number of new residents following in the footsteps of loved ones who also called the Village home.
In fact, BTV has more than 50 second-generation residents who are part of family legacies here at the Village. Many of these “legacy” residents planned ahead for retirement after seeing their parents thrive independently at BTV and receive a continuum of compassionate care at end of life.
BTV Director of Marketing Kelly Syer said there is no greater endorsement than the confidence and praise that comes from family members of current and past residents.
“We’re honored when people choose to make us a continued piece of their family’s own history,” Syer said. “They do so knowing and anticipating the many benefits and lifestyle they can expect, along with the peace of mind that comes from the caring and quality environment that defines Butterfield.”
Each legacy resident has his or her own set of reasons for choosing retirement at Butterfield. But over time and generations, the core appeals of Butterfield remain unchanged: camaraderie among neighbors, compassionate staff, excellence in healthcare, and the security of lifetime skilled nursing care.
Linda Pinkerton
Kindness & Compassion
Linda and Jim Pinkerton moved to Butterfield in 2016.
“We came to BTV five years ago from Florida,” Linda said. “My late husband had some eye issues and was unable to drive. When I had to have shoulder surgery, we realized we should be somewhere where we could have transportation, so we decided moving to Butterfield was what we needed.”
Although she was living in Florida, Linda grew up in Fayetteville and had made up her mind years earlier when her parents were residents at the Village that she would one day live at Butterfield, too.
After Linda and Jim married in 2004 and settled in Rockledge, Fla., they joined the BTV Carriage Club in anticipation of one day moving to Arkansas and making Butterfield their home.
“I was very familiar with Butterfield because my parents lived here, including my mother for 18 years,” said Linda, who serves on the BTV Resident Council. “I knew this was where I was going to retire, and I told my husband that. But Jim was a Florida boy and wasn’t so sure about moving to Arkansas. Everything changed when we came. He loved Arkansas and BTV.”
Linda’s parents, J. D. and Lola Mae McFarland, moved to BTV in 1989, three years after it opened. There were no Village Homes yet, and the couple lived in a new apartment on the second floor of the north building. J. D. died about four years after they moved in, but Lola Mae continued to live in their apartment until 2006 when she moved to Health Care. She died a few months later in January 2007.
Linda oversaw her mother’s care from over 1,000 miles away in Florida and couldn’t have done it without the help of the caring professionals at Butterfield, she said.
“To me, Butterfield has always been a wonderful place because of the staff,” Linda said. “Every time I came from Florida to visit, I was so impressed with the kind and caring staff. Some like (Senior Director of Resident Services) Patricia Poertner and (Director of Programs and Events) Riki Stamps are still here. That says a lot about the quality of the care.”
Nancy Shelor
Longevity Matters
Nancy Shelor was also impressed with the longevity of BTV staff when she was researching retirement communities for her mother, Carmella Loprino. The first question she always asked was how long their longest employee had been there.
“When I asked at the Village, they told me the longest employee had been there 20 years, and that many of the original employees were still there,” Nancy said. “That told me Butterfield was a good employer and that employees like working there.”
Nancy and her late husband Lyle arranged for her to fly from her home in Naperville, Ill., to Northwest Arkansas for a three-day stay in the guest suite at Butterfield to see if she’d like living there permanently. At the end of the three days when Nancy arrived to pick up her mom, Carmella announced she was returning to Naperville to pack her bags and sell her house.
“Mom moved to Butterfield in 2006 and she absolutely loved it,” Nancy said. “Lyle and I came to help her unpack and hang pictures, and she said, ‘Uh, bye, I’ve got a party to go to.’ Mom really preferred being with people her own age. She made friends, and played cards and went to the entertainment – she was on the go.”
After Carmella’s death in 2011, Nancy and Lyle reflected on how happy and well-cared she had been at BTV. They, too, joined the Carriage Club and moved to BTV in September 2017. Soon after, however, Lyle was diagnosed with cancer. He died in October 2018.
“It was a blessing Lyle and I came here when we did,” Nancy said. “He was very happy that I was here. He knew I would be taken care of here. Butterfield is truly a blessing. I couldn’t ask for a better place.”
Jim & Kathy Webster
A God-Driven Plan
Jim and Kathy Webster moved to the Village in July 2020. Like Linda Pinkerton and Nancy Shelor, they also had parents who lived at BTV.
Kathy’s parents, Dick and Shirley Johanson, lived at BTV twice – the first time in 1988 while Dick was recovering from bypass surgery, and later in 1995. In 2009, Jim relocated his father, Bill Webster, to Butterfield from Albuquerque, N.M. so he would have better quality of life.
“Kathy and I experienced a lot with Butterfield before we were residents, primarily with family members living here,” Jim said. “Between Dick and Shirley and my father, we experienced resident life in independent living, the Heath Care Center and the Special Care Center, all before we moved to Butterfield. Based on what we learned, it is our opinion that there is no better place in Northwest Arkansas than Butterfield to live independently, while also being prepared to transition toward the end of life.”
While his father’s health declined and he was moved from independent living to the Special Care Center, Jim served on the BTV Board of Directors, from January 2011 through December, 2016. He and Kathy joined the Carriage Club, and were offered the opportunity to live in an apartment at Butterfield until a Cottage or Village home was available. Serendipitously, a Village Home came available sooner than expected.
“I like to say our coming here was God-driven,” Jim said. “God had a plan, and the plan was, ‘I’ll get your parents to Butterfield, where they’ll be taken wonderful care of. You’ll serve on the Board of Directors and learn a lot about the organization and resident life, and when it’s time for you to transition to Butterfield, you’ll have the security of knowing if anything happens to you, Kathy will be taken care of.’”
Frances Sego
Sanctuary for the Soul
Frances and Charlie Sego moved to Butterfield in May 2018 after selling their longtime Fayetteville business, the Duck Club Gallery. Frances’ mother had been a BTV resident and Charlie’s mother was a current BTV resident, making them double legacies.
Frances’ mom, Eleanor Tabor, moved to BTV in the mid-90’s from Tulsa and lived here until her death in October 2003. Charlie’s mom, Honey Sego, moved to BTV in 2005 where she lived until her death in November 2019.
“My mom had fallen a couple of times in Tulsa and needed more assistance,” Frances said. “She made friends and enjoyed the many activities at BTV, but she was a homemaker and more reserved.”
“When Honey came to Butterfield, she reinvented herself,” Frances said. “She’d always been very active and she flourished here. She was the main receptionist at an oil company in Bartlesville, Okla., and was a real people person. Charles would call her and always got her answering machine… she was always gone!”
When Charlie and Frances decided to move to BTV in early 2018, he had just been diagnosed with cancer. They had some heavy lifting ahead to sell their home and downsize. The house sold in four days and a perfect apartment became available. Charlie did well on his cancer treatment plan. They made new friends at meals in the Dining Room and Bistro, walked the BTV campus and participated in Bible study.
“Charles was a hard worker,” Frances said. “We had two businesses at one point. Between work, family and church activities, he never had time to read. When we moved here, he discovered the library and started checking out books. He sat on our porch overlooking the South courtyard and read all that summer and fall”
“He loved our apartment and living here was like living in a sanctuary with the trees and nature,” she said. The spring before Charles died in October 2019, a pair of Mourning Doves nested on our porch and we watched the eggs hatch and the babies grow until they flew away.”
When BTV opened its doors 35 years ago, there were three residents; today there are over 400, including a growing number of legacy residents. BTV is poised to meet the needs of residents now and in the future with cutting-edge services, programming and amenities. With generations of families creating legacies here, it’s easy to see: Butterfield is an extraordinary place for extraordinary people.
