Thornton Oaks Residents Speak

Bruce Amstutz

Brunswick is a far cry from Bombay, Rangoon or Kabul—three of many postings the Amstutz family has called home in a career of foreign service. “This town offers world class opportunities,” says Bruce. “From the Curtis Library, which is an outstanding community library, to everything going on at Bowdoin College. You can audit courses there for free—art history, literature, music appreciation, archaeology. I’ve sat in on classes in which the entire back row is a phalanx of seniors.” Bruce also enjoys attending the division three sporting events at Bowdoin, particularly basketball and ice hockey.

“We’ve met more neighbors at Thornton Oaks in the past year than in all of the 20 years we lived in our former home. On our second day here, the couple two doors down informed us that they there were having a party in our honor. We were made to feel so welcome, it’s as if we’ve joined a family. And they’re not just a friendly bunch, they’re interesting people with whom we enjoy socializing.

“The town of Brunswick itself has been chosen twice, in recent years, as one of the best communities for retirees. There’s so much going on here, which from a practical standpoint is a great thing—cognitive abilities don’t get the opportunity to atrophy. I would venture to say that the people here are more interesting and interested in a variety of activities than would be the case were they to stay in their own homes with a diminishing circle of friends.

“We feel that living here is one of the nicest things we can do for our children. We know we’re not going to be a burden on them—and now they do too.”