50+ Lifestyles

Memories

By Mary Schricker Gemberling

“Never underestimate the magic of a memory.
A life full of great memories is a rich one.”
                       … Ellie Lieberman

My love affair with Florida began when I was a young girl. Our family of four would travel in our station wagon to Hollywood, Florida. We always stayed at the same family owned motel where over the years we became familiar guests. Dodging the ocean waves and searching for shells are still vivid in my memories these 70+ years later.

After retirement my parents came to the other side of the state and settled in a condo in Fort Myers. On visits over the years I shared the activities of my youth with my young sons as they made memories of their own. I eventually bought a condo myself and hosted many friends over the years. Many of them also grew to love Florida and especially the Fort Myers area.

One memorable trip was Christmas break in 2001 when the Christy family of five along with my two sons all came to visit. It was a balmy 75 degrees when we joined my parents on Fort Myers Beach to ring in the New Year. I remember my dad siting at a table at ‘Pete’s Time Out’ wearing a silly hat raising his mug in a toast to the New Year. My dad died the following February. My sons were especially happy to have that memory of spending time with their beloved grandfather.

In 2020, after spending several winters traveling up and down both coasts of Florida, Gary and I decided it was time to find a more permanent winter home. It is no surprise that Fort Myers was tops on our list of locations. Gary had also spent time vacationing in the area prior to meeting me, and we both had several friends who wintered here. We closed on our condo one week before Covid shut down the world. We have since hosted both friends and family and taken many of them to our favorite spots in the area.

In September of 2022 Gary and I were on a motor home trip in Iowa when we heard that Hurricane Ian had made a direct hit on Fort Myers area. We watched the news reports with disbelief. It was several days before we were able to find out the extent of damage to our community and more specifically our condo. We soon found out that our car had flooded, but no water had entered our unit. We drove a replacement car down in early November and arrived at Crown Colony with trepidation. Our community had taken a beating from both wind and water and though no buildings were lost, there was much cleanup still to be done. Most of the roofs still need to be replaced, and we had several items that needed to be repaired or purchased anew. Needless to say in the overall scheme of things we felt very fortunate.

One Sunday morning in November after keeping up with the reports on the damage and cleanup on Fort Myers Beach, we thought it was time to drive over and take a look. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw. Our favorite hangouts were either gone or destroyed beyond recognition. The entire area known as Times Square on the North end of Fort Myers Beach was decimated. Established in 1983, Pete’s had been a staple of the community for almost 40 years. It was an open air hamburger joint where people sat at plastic tables and chairs enjoying a cold brew and sunshine. Just a few feet away the Pier Side Grill, where my bunco gals washed down grouper sandwiches with umbrella drinks, was also in shambles. Their website says temporarily closed which I will take as a good sign!

As we continued down San Carlos, we slowed at the site of a damaged Beach Methodist Church where Gary and I had attended church for the very first time together. Beach UMC began in the early 1950s in the home of the founding
members Art and Mabel Reckwerdt. Just over 10 years later the present sanctuary was dedicated. While they repair and restore their building, services are being held online so their church family may continue to share God’s love, joy and peace at a time when it is so desperately needed by so many.

As we look up and down all of the side-streets off the main road, we see piles of debris laden with years and years of life’s memories. The cleanup seems to be an overwhelming task that may takes years. But the resiliency of people is always stronger than we can imagine.

As we leave the beach we drive down Main Street. We see boats piled on top of each other in a seemingly hopeless mangled mess. We later found out that out of the eleven shrimp boats owned by Erickson & Jensen Seafood, our source for fresh shrimp, only one survived. Later in the week, we found out they were selling shrimp off the boat so we drove back and purchased some shrimp; a glimpse of some normalcy pre-Ian. I know that recovery will take place one business, restaurant or shop at a time, and that someday we will be once again enjoying good food and camaraderie with friends and family on a new and improved Fort Myers Beach. In the meantime, prayers and positive thoughts sent this way would be much appreciated.

“You never know the value of a moment
until it becomes a memory.”

Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of four books: The West End Kid, Hotel Blackhawk; a Century of Elegance, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the World of Caregiving and Ebenezer United Methodist Church; 150 Years of Resiliency.