Resident of Monarch Landing Senior Living Community in Naperville Hits the Race Tracks

Jeff Schur is not a ‘halfway kind of guy.

The resident of Monarch Senior Living Community is a self-professed ‘driven’ individual–professionally, recreationally, and personally. His mantra is, “If something is worth doing, do it properly or don’t do it at all.”

Jeff and his wife Lucille moved to Monarch Landing early last summer. He lives in an independent living apartment, and she lives in Prairie Place memory care at The Springs at Monarch Landing.

Jeff is not retired (not even halfway). He has a long, successful career in advertising and is still running digital production and consulting agencies in N. Y. full-time.

His other career stems from his long love for auto racing. Jeff is a certified high-performance driving instructor and Clubracing member the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet. “I bought my granddaughter Emily a car control course. I have done that for each of my grandchildren because I think it’s important for their road safety. I wasn’t an instructor then, but I drove with Emily and enjoyed helping her overcome her nervousness. That gave me the inspiration to pass on my racing experience to others. I took five intensive levels of classes and became  certified as a Motorsports Safety Foundation High Performance Driving  instructor,” he said. It’s work that he enjoys, and he takes great pleasure in the fact that Emily has become a confident NASA HPDE 2 driver. He has compiled a long list of successful student graduates.

Recreationally, Jeff says that he is not a daredevil, but his list of hobbies and pursuits make it apparent that he is adventurous. Enjoying time with his children and grandchildren, Jeff has, with them, enjoyed shark diving and deep-sea wreck diving, flown (and parachuted from) planes, and more. Passionate about boating, years ago, Jeff upsized the family boat. At that time, he said, “I wanted to increase my skill level for safety purposes, so I took and passed the Captain’s License exam from the U.S. Coast Guard.”

In addition to working in auto racing, he also drives for enjoyment and in competitions. Jeff recently took a fellow resident of Monarch Landing to the Autobahn track. “We gave him a club BMW M8 to drive around the track, and then I gave him a few hot laps in his BMW M3 racecar.,” said Jeff.

Jeff is most proud of and devoted to his family. Lucille, his wife of-58 years, has dementia, and as the condition worsened, Jeff carefully evaluated options for her care. When it was no longer practical for her to remain in their apartment in Naperville, he tried having her cared for at an area memory support facility. Her condition plummeted there so he moved her to The Springs at Monarch Landing, and she’s flourished. “We needed her brought in a wheelchair, but we parked it in the corner, and she’s never had to use it since. She is the best she’s been mentally and physically for more than five years. She smiles a lot more, and she has a higher quality of life,” Jeff said.

The care and attention she receives have been outstanding, and because of that, Jeff recently felt comfortable leaving town for the first time so that he could attend their grandson Justin’s wedding in Canada. “I had confidence that Lucille would be in good hands while I was gone. The wedding was joyous, but I knew I couldn’t talk with Lucille about it because she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it,” he said. It was bittersweet.

His new granddaughter-in-law, Lydia, had an idea. Since Lucille couldn’t come to the wedding, Lydia decided, “I’m going to bring my dress to Naperville and show it to Granny.”

Jeff took the idea a bit further. “We should do this properly. If there’s something worth doing, it’s worth overdoing, and this was one of those times.” Jeff decided to recreate the couple’s wedding ceremony at Prairie Place at The Springs for his wife. He became ordained so that he could ‘marry’ the kids as they renewed their vows. The team at The Springs created a wedding cake and appetizers and decorated the room for the wedding. Lucille, family, staff and residents of The Springs enjoyed the beautiful ceremony. Lucille, sitting between her two granddaughters, beamed. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

In his new home at Monarch Landing, and with Lucille within steps of him, in a beautiful and caring setting, Jeff is eagerly anticipating his future adventures and pursuits.

Monarch Landing

Monarch Landing is a Life Plan Community located on a scenic campus in Naperville, Illinois-named “one of America’s best places to live and retire” by Modern Maturity, and “the best city for early retirement” by Kiplinger. Monarch Landing offers independent living, promoting a vibrant lifestyle for active seniors.  The Springs at Monarch Landing offers memory supported assisted living, respite care, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing services, thus providing complete continuing care for seniors. Monarch Landing is owned by Senior Care Development and managed by Life Care Services®. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToMonarchLanding.com or www.TheSpringsatMonarchLanding.com.