Community Stories:
Bob Oyafuso

One member of Fair Oaks Ecohousing, Bob Oyafuso, spoke with us recently about the social isolation he experienced after his wife Fran was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, and how that led him to find cohousing. At a lecture given by cohousing architect Chuck Durrett, who designed the Fair Oaks development, Bob asked if members of a cohousing community would accept his wife-see her as a person, despite her illness. Durrett told Bob about a different cohousing community that had warmly accepted a family with an autistic child and added that the cost of caring for the child was actually reduced because of support from the community. That conversation was pivotal in Bob’s decision to join Fair Oaks EcoHousing.

In seeking support, Bob also joined a memoir writing group for caregivers and began writing about his experience with Fran. What follows is an excerpt from Bob’s memoir. We are sharing it here as a way to introduce one of our members. We hope you will find it as moving as we did.