Welcome to the Neighborhood: Meet Bob and Helen

Posted on: July 31, 2025

Category: Granville, Independent Living

For new Otterbein SeniorLife Granville independent living residents Bob and Helen H., the community was the perfect place for them to continue to pursue their passions in retirement.

Hear from the couple below, or keep reading to learn more about what brought them to Otterbein.

Welcome From the Start

Helen noted how friendly and helpful other residents and the partners at Otterbein Granville were from the very start.

“The community is very welcoming. Little things — like handwritten notes of welcome, people stopping you on the street, asking ‘Are you new here? Who are you? Tell me about yourself,’ and just welcoming to the utmost degree,” she said.

While downsizing to a new retirement home is never as simple as it sounds, the couple said the community helped them navigate the process.

“We found a lot of advice and consolation from people that are already out here that had to do exactly the same thing. We had some friends that were already living out here that we had gotten to know in Granville, so we visited them. We’ve been to events out here, and so we got to know the place a little bit,” Bob said.

Both Helen and Bob have already found ways to get involved at Otterbein Granville. Helen joined the fiber arts group, a longtime passion of hers, while Bob joined the bocce ball team.

“We won our first game, which is great, because neither my partner nor I had ever done it before,” he said.

They noted that Otterbein Granville’s community atmosphere was a different — and welcome — change from their previous home.

“The last two places we’ve lived, we really did not have a neighborhood community. But when you move here, you have a neighborhood community,” said Bob.

Helen agreed, saying, “This is the most welcoming place I’ve ever been, and I’ve moved a lot in my lifetime. It’s just amazing. It just comes from the minute you set foot here.”

What Makes Otterbein Granville Special?

Since its opening in 2005, Otterbein Granville has been a resident-driven community where residents create and facilitate their own activity programming and special events. Over 30 resident-run committees, ranging from entertainment and movies to philanthropy and bible study, combine to create an inclusive culture where differences are celebrated and individual interests and personalities are valued.

Lifelong learning is another key tenet of the community. Otterbein Granville shares a special bond with nearby Denison University. In fact, Denison alums helped start our community in 1996, and the land on which the campus is built was Denison property.

Since then, the connection between Otterbein Granville and Denison has benefited both communities. Our residents attend on-campus:

Lectures
Concerts
Plays
Athletic events
And more

Finally, our community’s setting is another factor that sets us apart. Since 2019, the campus of Otterbein Granville has been an accredited Level I Arboretum by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. This means that our campus is dedicated to planting trees, serving as a testament to our ongoing commitment to trees, landscaping, and a love of nature. Residents enjoy hiking, birdwatching, and other outdoor activities right on our 94-acre campus.