For Ludington Woods resident Sharon Adams, a sailboat was never just a boat. It was the first place she ever had to herself, her way out of Michigan winters, and where she felt most like herself. Decades later that memory was still close to the surface. So when the team at Ludington Woods asked Sharon what she would do if anything were possible, she did not need time to think. She wanted to sail a 36 foot sailboat one more time. Through StoryPoint Group’s Dream Big initiative, she did, with her son Jason beside her.
From Detroit to a 36 Footer Named Samariah
Sharon was born on the outskirts of Detroit in 1946, the second of 9 children, and grew up wrangling brothers and baby siblings. She earned her degree as a registered nurse at Saint Mary’s School of Nursing in Flint, then took it straight to sunny California. There she bought a 36 foot wooden sailboat named Samariah and lived aboard on her own, with a swatch of canvas for a door, much to her older brother’s dismay.
A Life Ashore in Ludington
Life eventually pulled her back to land. Sharon met her husband, Clark, at the hospital where she worked, and traded the boat for a marriage and a set of girl and boy twins, followed by 2 more boys. The family bounced around in a classic and rusty RV for a few years before settling down, and in 1993 they moved to Ludington. Sharon spent the next 27 years caring for her neighbors at what was then Memorial Medical Center, first as a home care nurse and then in ambulatory surgery, and filled her spare hours coaching rec soccer for what felt like half the children in town. 
One More Sail
The boat never really left her, and the Ludington Woods team heard that clearly. Gary and Cheryl Ferguson offered their 36 foot sailboat and their afternoon, and Sharon stepped back aboard.Her son Jason sailed with her, which turned a good day into a memory the whole family gets to keep. “There is nothing better than waking up knowing you have the opportunity to make someone’s dream a reality,” the Ludington Woods team shared.
Why Moments Like This Matter
Dream Big works because it starts with listening. Team members learn what shaped a resident’s life, then look for a way to bring a piece of it back. For Sharon that meant wind, water, and her son beside her. For someone else it might be a stage, a ballpark, or a kitchen. The point is the same. The things people love do not retire when they move into senior living.
See What Living Fully Looks Like at Ludington Woods
Sharon’s afternoon on the water is 1 story out of many at Ludington Woods, a StoryPoint Group community in Ludington, Michigan. Residents here are supported in keeping the passions that made them who they are, with care that adapts as needs change. If you’d like to come see what that looks like in person, schedule a tour of Ludington Woods, or call (231) 241-5759 to talk with our team.
