SCOTIA — Mr. Kelly was born in Coral Gables, Florida. As a child he lived in Guatemala and England, and spent most of his school years in Pennsylvania. He attended Wake Forest University in the ROTC program. During college he played football, and at a game against Duke University he met a Marine Colonel who was head of ROTC. He told Sam if he did real well he would like to transfer his commission into the Marine Corp. During his military career he became a helicopter pilot, and he served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 training other pilots. He had a varied career as an aviator, serving as a pilot in Jacksonville, Florida, flying for a small jet company, and working for the Howard Hughes Tool Company’s aviation department in Houston, Texas. He has a MA in Aviation.
After Sam retired he divided his time between Stuart Beach, Florida and his condo in Portland, Maine, where his son also lived. He and his wife had divorced. After surgery on a broken ankle his health problems increased and he was no longer able to live independently due to the risk of falling, so he moved to upstate New York to be nearer his daughter and grandchildren. His daughter recommended a move to Judson Meadows Assisted Living Community. Sam said that at Judson Meadows, his health issues are addressed immediately and he likes it there very much.
It took Sam very little time to adjust to life at Judson Meadows. He finds nursing and management to be very accommodating.
“They bend over backwards to make residents happy,” Sam says. He enjoys the family atmosphere. “Everyone knows everyone else.” Sam noted that he is more social than he ever was before, and participates in all of the activities.
Sam’s attitude toward life is that it’s better to be pro-active and take charge. “You can make the best of the situation, or you can feel sorry for yourself” is his philosophy.
It seems he’s certainly chosen to make the best of life by spending it at Judson Meadows.