Judi, my better half, and I made the move to Charbonneau in 2021 after a remodel that
tested our patience (and our sanity). Before that, we lived in the Lake Oswego/West
Linn area.
I grew up in Southern California, a beach bum juggling junior college, part-time jobs,
and life at Ventura Beach until Uncle Sam drafted me. Thinking I was clever, I enlisted
in the Navy in 1968 to avoid Vietnam. That plan worked perfectly—right up until I landed
in Saigon during the Tet Offensive. I spent my service aboard the USS Washtenaw
County in the Mekong Delta, part of the so-called “Brown Water Navy”. Our mission?
Supporting river gunboat operations throughout through the Delta region. No casinos,
but a lot of excitement.
Back home in 1970, I earned a B.S. in Business and Marketing at San Diego State
University which launched a career in insurance. Along the way I played a lot of
corporate Monopoly – relocating through Albuquerque, New York City, Dallas, and finally
Portland, where I served as Agency Vice President at Standard Insurance Company.
After 15 years, I traded in the corporate jungle for entrepreneurship, starting Business
Exit Timing, LLC, where I helped small business owners implement risk management,
business succession, and exit strategies (or, as I liked to say, “a dignified stage left
without jeopardizing their hard-earned lifestyle”).
Judi and I are proud parents of three grown children and six grandchildren. We love
Charbonneau’s sense of community—and of course, the golf. Judi is an artist and
spends as much time as she can in her fused-glass studio. I spend my time chasing a
golf ball, while together we share a passion for Porsche Club drives with the Oregon
Region Porsche Club of America and driving our 1965 Shelby Cobra. We also enjoy
traveling, and long walks that usually end at the Activity Center where we work out …
we don’t sit on the couch much because staying active at this stage of our lives is the
name of the game.