If you visit Montereau’s retirement community campus in Tulsa, there’s a good chance you might run into Cheryl and Gene Melton walking their nine-year-old tricolored Yorkie. The couple, who moved here from Oklahoma City in 2015, enjoy the leisurely lifestyle you find at Montereau, and Gene in particular is proud to be known around campus as “Cece’s dad.”

“It’s a really pet-friendly community,” Cheryl explained. “We have a nice big pet park where they can be let off leash, and you see all kinds of pets. The largest dog is a Pyrenees service dog, and the smallest is an itty bitty chihuahua. We love it.”

Cece loves it, too. Fellow residents adore the Meltons’ dog because she is so cute, and she gets excited every time she sees a friendly face in the community. “It’s a very friendly place,” Cheryl said. “It’s very social, easy to meet people, and there’s no pressure. You come here and just enjoy your life.”

Discover the “wow factor” of Montereau

Cheryl said that when it was time to retire, the couple looked into more than half a dozen retirement communities, from Tulsa to Dallas to Asheville, N.C., and they discovered Montereau while visiting Tulsa for a croquet tournament. They came in for a tour in the spring of 2015, moved in November, and haven’t looked back since.

“It’s very pretty here, and it’s striking when you see it,” she said. “The campus is up on a hill, and when you drive in, it’s like, ‘Wow!’ We looked at quite a few communities, and Montereau was the best. It had the best size apartments, and plenty of closets, which is what I was looking for,” she added with a laugh.

In addition to the gorgeous campus scenery, the walking trails and the pet park, Cheryl said she loves that Montereau offers everything she and Gene need right on campus, from delightful dining options to classes and activities, to the friendly camaraderie among residents and team members.

“It’s also a continuing care community, so it’ll see us through if we need assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing,” she added. “That was also part of our consideration. What will we need down the line?”

The value of moving early

A resident of Montereau for six years now, Cheryl was in her late sixties when she and her husband moved here. She explained she is glad they moved when they did so they could make the most of all the activities.

“A lot of people wait too long to move into senior living, and they can’t really enjoy all there is to do,” she said. “We’re able to get out, do things and be active, not only here in Tulsa but all over. We travel a lot, and we don’t have the worries of home ownership. We don’t have those responsibilities anymore.”