Victoria (“Torie”) Elizabeth Young
Torie and her late husband Keith moved to Kendal from Beverly, NJ, on October 6, 1993, carrying $2,000 in cash – the movers required being paid in cash. They decided they would sleep on the floor of their cottage while waiting for their things to arrive the next day. That night a flashing light outside the window nearly scared her to death before she realized it was a Facilities Services truck checking to make sure everyone was safe.
Keith and Torie grew up as friends in Warren, PA, but they didn’t date even when they were both at Oberlin College. When the war came, Keith went for training in a medical lab, while Torie was earning an MS in medical sciences at Northwestern. One day at church they started talking, and Keith helped her with some malaria slides he’d picked up in India. They renewed their friendship, which then became courtship, and they were married just before he started medical school.
Torie loves golfing, music, and travel and has volunteered in many areas. She likes the great putt-putt course here, but croquet is her favorite. She and Frampie Ailey were the top team for two seasons in the annual croquet tournament. When she isn’t at a lecture or program here, she is at something in town or at the college.
She was a regular volunteer at the desk in the Stephens Care Center and at the front desk in Heiser, but once Keith’s health began to fail Torie’s focus was on him, taking him everywhere in his wheelchair. The staff noted they had always walked together holding hands when they first moved to Kendal, and they were together until the end. One difficult day, the anniversary of the death of her mother, Barbara Reeves stopped by and put her arms around Torie in a warm hug – just what she needed. She is so glad to be at Kendal and have friends like that.
Torie broke her kneecap just before Keith died in April 2012. She still wanted to push him about, but feared that she was too impatient after the injury. Keith reassured her, saying he understood, and gave her a big kiss. The night he died, the nurses brought a wheelchair to her so they could be together.
It’s hard getting used to being alone, Torie says. She is glad that Keith had his practice in town and was able to be with her and the children. He was a doctor who made house calls, and even fixed lunch for an ill patient who didn't feel up to it. Always he had such a personal touch.
Torie and Ralph Turner were among the residents who, with staff member Terry Freas Malloy, started a group where people can come to talk about problems. They still meet on Wednesdays, and others are welcome to join. She and Nancy Garver worked together helping others prepare for memorials, and when Nancy was away, Torie would take over. She didn’t suspect that she would need that help herself this last year.
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