Page 95 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2023

Jeff and Sheila DeLuke.
Carol and Mike Lacy.
COUPLES SPENDING THEIR GOLDEN YEARS ON THE GULF COAST AND WHY
DeLuke and his wife Sheila live in Gautier, and in June he retired for the second time. He first retired from Keesler Air Force Base in 1999 and then stayed on in a couple of civilian positions. “I’m originally from upstate New York and I met my wife here in 1984,” DeLuke said. “We always knew we were going to retire on the Gulf Coast one day and it’s finally that day.”
He added hiring a financial advisor gave them the confidence to retire, knowing they would be able to live comfortably and travel. “Having a financial planner is definitely worth it,” DeLuke said. “It's just a good feeling to know there's always someone there with advice.”
A familiar face and local journalist Mike Lacy retired from WLOX in April and feels no other place compares to the Gulf Coast. “You just cannot get this kind of view anywhere else,” Lacy said. “You could throw a rock and hit the island right off of Biloxi shore. We’ve got beautiful small craft harbors. We’ve got entertainment and a rich culture. There’s just nowhere else we'd rather be.”
Lacy said he is a retirement rookie but added he and his wife, Carol, are looking forward to being participants in annual events he’s reported about for years, attending Southern
Miss football games, and traveling. “I'm still trying to get my retirement legs under me, but we are quickly figuring it out,”
Lacy said, adding he has plans to return to his theater roots. “I haven't done a proscenium show in about nine years so I’m glad I’ll have time and I’m eager to get back to doing that,” Lacy said.
For Jane and Mark Carroll, retiring and living on the Back Bay in Biloxi was also an easy decision. He retired from Ingalls Shipbuilding and their children and grandchildren live all along the Coast stretching from Gulfport to Louisiana. “We are family first,” Jane Carroll said. “We are nearby and can spend a lot of time with the children for holidays and there’s always babysitting that we really enjoy.”
The Carrolls said because they are near their children and grandchildren, they can easily plan to attend soccer games and other events. When they are not engaged in family activities, they are enjoying all the Coast has to offer. “And now we have a boat,” Mark Carroll said. “We’re starting to do more boating on the Back Bay and the bayous and we're starting to do more fishing and crabbing.”
If your retirement dream is beautiful sunrises while sipping coffee on a veranda, long scrumptious lunches with friends in vibrant communities, and inviting neighbors over for sunset margaritas – look no further than the Gulf Coast. There’s just no denying it, if you retire anywhere on the Coast you’ll live where other people spend their vacations.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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