| We recently got to sit down with Judie and Tom Bricker. Before we get into their work at The Resort, let’s start with an intriguing story. We learned that the Brickers share a passion for genealogy and Judie recounted some of her research. While she’s learned some interesting details about her family history — like that one relative was the tailor to George Washington — she told us a story that really got us thinking about the nature of relationships. Get this:
“My mom was crazy about my dad,” Judie began, “but she would always tease him about how much she loved Bing Crosby. She would say, ‘That Bing – he’s my guy.’” Judie added, “Then, in doing the genealogy, I discovered that, on my dad’s side, we’re related to Bing.”
Maybe there’s lesson in there about the nature of attraction. Doesn’t it sometimes seem our DNA is calling the shots. Hmmm. But, back to Judie and Tom: They both grew up in what Judie calls “Northern Lower Michigan”; specifically, the small town of Petoskey. While both went to Petoskey High, they didn’t meet till much later. Eventually they would realize that Judie had been at Tom’s graduation, but that’s because her older brother was also graduating that year.
Tom joined the Navy and spent four years traveling Europe and beyond, before coming home to Michigan and taking a job at a furniture factory, a job he held for 40 years. Meanwhile, Judie was building a multi-stage career in nursing, starting out as a practical nurse working for 10 years at the local hospital, then going back for her RN degree, working another ten, then more school until finally she had a Master’s in Nursing with a minor in Education. She had a national certification in orthopedic nursing and finished out her career teaching in an RN program at the same college where she graduated, adding, “I love to teach and being a nursing instructor was my favorite part of my career.” Along the way, she married, and had a son and two daughters.
That summary brings us to 1989. By then, Judie’s marriage had come undone and she was out at a restaurant/bar called Between Friends. And that’s when she ran into Tom. Asked her first impression, she laughed and said, “He had a nice motorcycle.” Tom explained that he had just bought the new motorcycle that day. And he still has it, although it’s back at their summer place in Michigan. It took a few years, but the two ultimately married (photo below.) Tom took to the role of step-dad, and now they enjoy time with blended families that have given them 17 grandchildren. |
