Alpena Village is a mission of Lutheran Homes of Michigan & Presbyterian Villages of Michigan
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"Just try and keep up will ya!"
Ted Cavin, noting the pace between the 1st and 18th holes at a local golf club...
or any other event in life.
Ted's Trail winds through Alpena Village...
...and continues through Alpena Community College property, ending near Park Arena
A doe and fawn make their way across Ted's Trail on Sunday, June 28, 2009
Where TED's TRAIL Begins...
George Edward Pellow Cavin "Ted"
Take a walk...
Thanks to Ted's efforts in helping Alpena Village become a reality, the walking path in the community is available for all to enjoy. The Trail extends among the community in various areas as well as to the campus of Alpena Community College for residents' enjoyment and easy access to the numerous campus amenities.
Ted's Trail shown in red.
Alpena Village Fondly Remembers Ted Cavin, A Visionary for Alpena Village By Cindy Kramer
Alpena Village fondly remembers Ted Cavin, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on May 17, 2008. Ted was married to Jennie and together they had 6 children, Edward (Eleanor), Steven (Ching), Mark Bradley (Denise), Mark (Kathleen), Michael (Patti), and Patricia Stewart; 12 grandchildren; a brother, Donald (Anne Lee), and a sister, Dorothy (Walter) Zahrt.
Alpena Village celebrates Ted’s life and is deeply grateful for all that he did to make Alpena Village a reality. He was instrumental in encouraging Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and Lutheran Homes of Michigan to invest in Alpena, Michigan with a joint venture as co-owners and to build a community for elders of various income levels.
Ted had a great love for Northeast Michigan and thoroughly enjoyed his retirement years here. He and his wife Jennie lived on Hubbard Lake where he loved to fish, work in their yard, or just sit on the patio enjoying a good book and the beautiful scenery. Many summer days were spent with Ted working in the vegetable garden while Jennie, a dedicated flower gardener, worked nearby. Ever the English teacher, Ted was an avid writer, he kept a journal, he wrote poetry, and he even worked on a novel. He also loved the Detroit Tigers and rarely missed a game on TV. He and Jennie loved to spend lazy winter days watching old movies on the old classic movie channels. They would have contests to see who could identify the actors and actresses first.
Ted touched many lives with his vision and dream for Alpena Village. He served first as Vice President of the Board of Directors and then as President, during which time he was instrumental in moving the vision forward to secure our current location on the campus of Alpena Community College. He is remembered by fellow Board member, Dennis Artley for his “dogged determination and his never give up attitude.”
Early in the development of Alpena Village, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM) and Lutheran Homes of Michigan (LHM), came on board as joint owners of Alpena Village. Roger Myers, President and CEO of PVM and David Gehm, President and CEO of LHM fondly remember Ted, "Ted Cavin's organizational skills, passion and community networking were essential to the successful development of Alpena Village. Without Ted's relentless servant leadership and commitment, it is likely that the vision for Alpena Village would have remained just that... a vision. But through his spirit of determination and his ability to engage and motivate others, Alpena Village is now a reality with the first residents moving in just a few days. We were all blessed that Ted decided to make the creation of Alpena Village a personal priority of his life's work. It is a wonderful contribution and legacy that he made to enhancing the quality of life for seniors in northeastern Michigan for decades to come."
I came to work for Alpena Village in 2001 and had the opportunity to work closely with Ted for about five years. In the years that I worked for him, I came to love both he and Jennie. He treated me like a daughter and pushed me to be the best I could be. Ted was known for his frugality. I used to tease him about driving his beat up little old Honda Accord. I would tell him it was time for a new car and his response would always be “next year”. The front seat passenger seatbelt didn’t work, so if you ever saw him with Jennie in the car, she was in the back seat. I would tell him he was driving Miss Jennie. He always took my ribbing in good stride and usually gave it right back!
Ted always had a positive attitude and outlook on things. No matter how discouraging a situation may have been, he always looked at it as the glass half full and refused to be negative. He exhibited this best when given his diagnosis last fall. He refused to be negative about it or give up. He always said he would beat it. In the end, the cancer did win, but that’s not how I see it. I see it as Ted being a winner because he lived a good life, a full life, and he touched many people and made a difference along the way. To me, that’s not losing, that’s living your life to the fullest and impacting people in a positive way. Life is different without Ted here. We miss him and fondly remember him.
