Getting to Know Lou and Trisha Beland
Q. When did you move to Butterfield?
A. Officially, early April 2019, although we’d been moving boxes and things from our previous home in Fayetteville for months!
Q. Where are you from?
A. Lou was born and raised in Fort Smith, but left after high school for college at St. Louis University, then Vietnam as a Seabee for three tours, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Cincinnati for his job with Procter & Gamble. He’s almost come full circle, back to Northwest Arkansas!
Trisha was born in Berkeley, Calif., and raised in the San Francisco Bay area – she didn’t even know where Arkansas was until meeting Lou on a blind date in 1971 in San Francisco, and following him from then on!
Q. What did you do before retirement?
A. Lou, an electrical engineer by degree, worked in beverage manufacturing for P&G for 31 years.
Trisha, who has a BSN from the University of California, San Francisco, was a critical care nurse in various cities.
Q. Do you have children and grandchildren?
A. We have had many four-legged, furry children with tails, but none now. Lou has siblings and many nieces, nephews and their families in Arkansas and adjoining states.
Q. Why did you choose Butterfield?
A. We first learned about Butterfield on a Civil War Elderhostel in 2000, when a dulcimer-playing group from BTV visited our nearby hotel to entertain and have lunch with our group. After deciding to move to Northwest Arkansas in 2002, going to Butterfield seemed the best long-range plan for us. We were on the Carriage Club list for 10 years, enjoying meals and programs, getting to know many people and waiting for the perfect time and location to move. The time arrived and we’re here!
