HAMLET – I had the pleasure of meeting Jeannette and Jim Repsher at our local Richmond County Farmers’ Market. They were displaying and selling their homemade art crafts while I sold my garden produce. I found out that both were raised up north – Jeannette in Connecticut and Jim in Pennsylvania.
I asked, “What brought you both to Richmond County?” ‘Too much snow’ and ‘high taxes back home’ were their answers. They had made their home and raised their two girls in Connecticut, but then decided to move south to enjoy their retirement years.
After finding out that I was a writer for the Richmond Observer, the couple invited me to come visit them at their home off Freeman Mill Road in Hamlet.
Last Saturday I took them up on their offer. We had a wonderful discussion. They expressed how they were enjoying our wonderful weather and relatively low taxes which were a good-bit cheaper than they were used to paying up north.
Before retiring in Connecticut, Jeannette had been a rural mail-carrier and dabbled in real estate. Earlier in her life she had been a book-keeper. Jim, on the other hand, had served his country for three years. When he got out of service he tried cooking and later carpentry. Jim had always enjoyed working with his hands and went to school to be a diesel mechanic. Later he would be a long-haul truck-driver but not being at home much he decided to drive for a local dump truck company.
As the years went by, both Jeannette and Jim developed health problems; Jeanette had lung cancer while Jim had a stroke.
Not letting these medical issues control their lives, both took up doing their favorite hobbies. Jeannette has always enjoyed oil painting – she actually sold her first painting when she was only nine years old. She continues to paint her beautiful oil pictures but as of late she uses acrylic and varnish to paint the many woodworking objects that Jim cuts out in his woodworking shop.
For years Jim maintained a larger woodworking shop but since his stroke he only takes on smaller projects. He once built a wooden train including engine, train cars and a caboose. The wooden truck in the picture took him about three months to build.
The Repshers persuaded their older daughter to move to Richmond County and hope that their younger daughter will soon make the move south as well.
To view (or hopefully buy) some of the Repsher’s art work and crafts, visit their booth at some of our local festivals this fall.
