Dallas couple savors a second chance at love

When mutual friends suggested Carl Skooglund and Anne Calvert meet, first-date jitters nearly derailed their plans. “I went to pick Anne up to take her out to dinner,” says Carl, who lost his first wife in 2008 after a lengthy illness. “I was walking up to the door and thought, ‘I haven’t done this in over 45 years.’”

Anne took one look at Carl and sensed his distress. “He was a wreck,” says Anne, who was widowed 25 years earlier when her first husband passed away unexpectedly at 49. “I had been single for a while, so I was way past being nervous about a date. I thought, worst case, I could have a new friend. I wasn’t necessarily looking for Mr. Right.”

Anne’s reassuring demeanor calmed Carl’s nerves. “She settled me down as soon as I walked in,” says Carl. “She sized me up and said, ‘Relax, I’m harmless.'"

Getting to know each other

On that first date in May 2009, Carl took Anne to the Dallas steakhouse III Forks.

“Anne likes to tell the story that as soon as we walked into the restaurant, I looked over to the right, saw the bar, and asked if she wanted to get a glass of wine,” says Carl. “It settled my nerves, and I was fine after that. We had a delightful dinner on the patio.”

Carl and Anne were both attending King of Glory Lutheran Church, the connection that spurred their friends to suggest a meeting. They also discovered a shared heritage. Both of their mothers had a German background.

“We realized our mothers had the same sayings,” says Anne. “Carl would say something in German, and I would understand it because my mother said the same thing.”

Anne, an audiologist, founded Calvert Hearing Care in Dallas. She was still working when she met Carl. “When my first husband passed away, I had a seven-year old and three teenagers,” says Anne. “Then I purchased my private practice, so I was pretty much married to getting my kids raised and my business up and going.”

Carl enjoyed a 35-year career with Texas Instruments in Dallas, first as an engineer, then working his way up to division management. He was offered an opportunity to set up the Texas Instruments ethics office and become the company’s first ethics director. “It was an extremely rewarding job,” says Carl.

“When employees faced difficult decisions, we were there to help them understand the company’s standards and provide support if they were laboring over a decision.” Carl remained in that role for 11 years until he retired early to spend time with his first wife.

The proposal

A year and a half after they met, Carl and Anne felt their futures included each other.

“I didn’t totally spring the proposal on her,” says Carl. “She picked out the setting for the ring, and I picked out the diamonds.” The location and timing, however, were a surprise. “I took her to one of our favorite restaurants, and as we approached our table, we saw a couple from church sitting at the next table over,” says Carl. “I thought, ‘Oh no, my cover’s blown. They’ll see what’s happening.'” A potted palm between the two tables, however, afforded a measure of privacy, allowing Carl to pop the question in relative privacy.

The proposal, in October 2010, set off a whirlwind few months for the couple, as Anne sold her audiology practice to a colleague and retired in November 2010. Anne’s youngest son got married in a big wedding in January 2011, one month before Carl and Anne tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in the chapel of King of Glory Lutheran Church on February 19, 2011.

“It was just our families [Carl has three children], the pastor who married us, and her husband at our wedding,” says Anne. “When we started thinking of friends to invite, there was literally no place to put a period. We opted for a small family wedding.” The couple’s honeymoon, a cruise through the Norwegian fjords, followed a few months later.

“At that time, neither one of our homes was the right fit for both of us together, so we purchased a home just a short distance from Anne’s house, and that’s where we lived after we were married,” says Carl.

The next chapter

In 2017, friends of Carl and Anne were moving to a senior living community near Central Expressway and Northwest Highway in Dallas and invited them to a sales event. “We hadn’t given any thought to a retirement community, but we decided we would look around,” says Anne.

The couple visited several communities across Dallas. Highland Springs, the Erickson Living-managed community in North Dallas, was the last one they explored.

“We’d driven by Highland Springs in the past, but it was a whole new world once we were inside the campus and had a chance to look around and meet people,” says Carl. “That pretty much sealed the deal.”

The couple liked the on-site amenities and spacious 89-acre campus. They enjoyed meeting friendly residents and helpful staff.

“We joined the priority list shortly after our first visit,” says Anne. “We thought, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’”

The priority list at Highland Springs is comprised of prospective residents who put down a fully refundable $1,000 deposit to reserve their place in line for the apartment home of their choice. Priority list members enjoy exclusive invitations to special parties and workshops, and they are the first to learn of any community updates or new construction.

“Twin Oaks Square, a new residence building, was under construction when we joined the priority list,” says Anne. “We reserved a Walton-style apartment on the third floor, overlooking the courtyard and fountain.”

Carl and Anne sold their Dallas house and moved into their spacious two-bedroom apartment at Highland Springs in September 2018.

“The Erickson Living tagline, ‘ Add more living to your life,’ couldn’t be truer,” says Carl. “I tell people that if you move to Highland Springs and don’t have enough to do, that’s your fault. And if you’re overloaded with things to do, that’s your fault too.”

Carl and Anne have each found their sweet spot. He serves on the Philanthropy Committee and as chair of the Staff Appreciation Committee. She serves on the Resident Life Committee and as program chair of the Kansas Club.

About Highland Springs: Highland Springs, one of 20 continuing care retirement communities developed and managed by Erickson Living®, is situated on a scenic 89-acre campus in North Dallas, Texas. The not-for-profit community of more than 1,150 residents and 520 employees is governed by its own board of directors, affiliated with National Senior Campuses, Inc., who provide independent financial and operational oversight of Highland Springs. Additional information can be found at http://highlandspringscommunity.com.

Written by Sara Martin