Written by Libby Kauffman
Garden Spot Village residents continually find a way to bring passion and purpose to life. Decorated Army veteran, Bob Totten, is just one example of passion pursuing purpose. Here at Garden Spot Village, Bob has dedicated many weeks to a project many have labeled as a “labor of love.”
Every year, the Veterans Day Recognition event salutes Garden Spot’s resident veterans. Typically, veterans are recognized by standing, as the song from their military branch plays. This year however, Bob was inspired to give the Veterans more recognition than usual. He says, “there is more to the story, standing up to the songs isn’t enough.” For the past several weeks Bob has been devoting his time to putting together a slide show encompassing all of the veterans who live at Garden Spot and where they served, along with any awards and medals they earned.
In total, Garden Spot Village has around 70 Veteran residents, who Bob has paid recognition to. Through the process of reaching out to each veteran and researching the information they shared with the Garden Spot Village archives room, Bob has seen his goal come to fruition. Throughout this process, he’s also made many relationships along the way that wouldn’t have been made otherwise. He hopes this labor of love will mean as much to the veterans as it has meant to him.
Bob’s story is a glimpse of why he is so passionate about the Veteran’s program. His training began at West Point, but the journey started years before, with his lifelong dream of following in his father’s footsteps. Both his father and grandfather attended West Point, along with many others in his family. After graduating, he dedicated 27 years of his life to his country, traveling from Virgina to Vietnam and everywhere in between.
Even after retiring from military service, Bob served in different ways such as engineering for the army and then later going into his own business to teach others how to use computers. And now, more recently, he is continually being an active part of the Garden Spot Village community as a cottage council member. He and his wife Carol also frequently volunteer at Meadow View Memory Care.
In more ways than one, Bob has dedicated his time and heart to both the veterans at Garden Spot Village and our country. Having a heart to serve is valuable and will always be recognized by those around you. Bob Totten is a prime example of that. He exemplifies the importance of finding your passion and pursuing it.