Meet the Members of Snowberry Commons

A smiling elderly woman with long gray hair, glasses, and wearing a purple jacket. She is in front of a wooden background.

  • After a career spanning architecture, building codes, and construction, I've officially retired — and it turns out, retirement is fantastic.

    When I'm not hitting the XC ski trails in winter or hiking in summer, you'll find me growing food at my P-Patch, keeping my 100-year-old home from falling apart, or taking off on road trips and world travels with friends. (The to-do list is long, and I love it.)

    A confirmed introvert, I'm genuinely excited to be part of the Snowberry Commons community.  I know that living in community will help me avoid the isolation common to most aging-in-place options.

An elderly man wearing a black beret, a red jacket, and jeans, holding gardening tools, standing next to a green wheelbarrow in a garden with tomato plants and green foliage.

  • I'm Gordon Dass Adams — a retired computer support professional with a background that spans medical research, engineering, and software development. These days, my focus has shifted to things closer to the ground: urban forestry, gardening, and keeping the tech running smoothly for our cohousing community.

    When I'm not digging in the dirt or troubleshooting computers, you'll find me out in the world. I have a special love for Morocco and Switzerland, and a deep connection to the outdoors that I express through landscape photography, birdwatching, and the occasional unforgettable solo hike.

    At the heart of it all is family and friends — especially my grandson here in Seattle. More than anything, my dream is to put down roots in a cohousing community in this city, where connection and community are built right into the neighborhood.

A woman with short blonde hair and sunglasses smiling, wearing a black quilted jacket, standing in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, with the Pisa Cathedral and other historic buildings in the background on a cloudy day.

  • After a career spanning social services, tech support, and bookkeeping, I’ve found that the common thread in everything I do is a love for helping people. Whether I was navigating a grocery store’s tech issues or managing the books for a landscaping design company, I always thrived on solving problems and supporting others.

    These days, my "work" looks a little different. You’ll often find me in the garden, traveling the Southwest in our camper, or visiting family in Italy. I’m also embracing my creative side as a fledgling fabric artist. I am deeply passionate about the co-housing movement and love the collaborative process of designing our community. I’m looking forward to the laughter, the problem-solving, and the new faces that will help make this group a home.

A woman standing on a grassy area with Machu Picchu ruins and mountains in the background, wearing hiking boots, a black hat, and a backpack.

  • A Western Washington native, I've lived in London, Amsterdam and Versailles before settling in Seattle with my husband and three children over 25 years ago. 

    Since leaving my career as a mediator, I've dedicated myself to learning Spanish — cycling to classes at the UW, joining conversation groups and book clubs, and traveling to Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico.  I hope to continue traveling to other parts of Latin America in the years ahead.

    I look forward to living in community with others who share my values.

A woman smiling on a mountain trail, holding onto a rock with one hand, surrounded by trees, with a snow-capped mountain in the background.

  • Being a founding member of Snowberry Commons is just the latest in my long line of community-centered endeavors. I like being busy! With previous careers in psychology practice and teaching, community development and affordable housing, I bring lots of experience to my roles at Snowberry Commons.  Reading, basket making, hiking and gardening are among my favorite activities. I'm a long-time Seattle resident with all of my extended family, including 15 grandchildren, living in the area, so I am committed to staying in Seattle.  Having enjoyed various forms of shared living most of my adult life, I’m very excited about living my later years in a vibrant community of peers at Snowberry Commons, a longtime dream.

A man with a bald head, gray beard, and light green polo shirt standing in front of a beige textured wall. Behind him is a colorful ceramic tile mural featuring white calla lilies with green leaves and orange sunflowers in a decorative blue and white vase. The mural is framed with a gray border.

  • My folks are from Lithuania, and although I grew up on the East Coast, I spent 10 years living and working in Western Europe and still have family in France. My wife and I moved back to the US 25 years ago, when our two oldest children (Irish Twins) were ready to enter school.  In Seattle, I've been lucky to work on a number of different projects including helping to found a second Waldorf K-8 school and to develop affordable housing alternatives in Snohomish and King County. My interests include music, Tai Chi and Qi gong. I was a print journalist for many years and still fantasize about writing a novel or narrative non-fiction.

An elderly man with white hair and glasses smiling outdoors in a hoodie with a University of Washington logo, in a landscape with a river, trees, and a cloudy sky.

  • A lifelong adventurer and craftsman, I've worn many hats — ship's captain, commercial fisherman, ski instructor, general contractor, and master cabinet maker. Since settling in Seattle in 2010, I've balanced a love for the Pacific Northwest with a deep pull toward the American Southwest, where my wife and I explore the desert in our van and I volunteer with the Samaritans providing humanitarian aid at the border.

    A builder at heart, my wife and I have constructed or remodeled four homes together. I'm an enthusiastic woodturner and furniture maker, an avid golfer, and a dedicated grandfather to four. I'm most at home when I'm creating something with my hands or exploring the outdoors.

If this way of living speaks to you, we invite you to
Explore Snowberry Commons and see if it feels like home.

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