Sharon and Seabury Lyon started a new chapter of their lives when they moved into their new apartment in the Center’s renovated Gehring House in Bethel, Maine.

After 25 years of living in a log cabin in the woods of West Bethel, Sharon and Seabury faced a hard reality. At 87, Seabury was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, along with macular degeneration and other health challenges. Their rural home—once perfect—was now isolating and unmanageable. Their doctor urged them to move into town, closer to services, while Seabury could still settle in and feel at home in new surroundings. 

But finding the right place in Bethel wasn’t easy. “We were frantic. What were we going to do?” Sharon recalled. There are very few year-round rentals and all the available apartments had stairs Seabury couldn’t manage. Soaring prices put homeownership and even most rentals out of reach.  

Finding Home at the Gehring House

Then came the newly-renovated Gehring House—a lifeline. With nine middle-market apartments specifically for year-round residents, including a ground-floor unit that worked for them, it offered not just housing, but hope. 

Today, Sharon and Seabury live within walking distance of the library, their church, and longtime friends. “The price works for our fixed income, and we’re surrounded by people who care,” Sharon said. They’re selling their old home to a local family—intending to keep it in the community, not to turn it into an Airbnb or second home. “We put so much love into the property. We want another family to take care of it and make it their own.” 

Giving Back to the Community

Sharon and Seabury don’t just benefit from community—they help build it. Currently volunteering with teens through the local 4H program and school, Sharon brings a lifetime of giving back. Living among younger working residents, the couple adds balance, wisdom, and warmth. They’re already organizing a Thanksgiving dinner for some of their neighbors and helping to transform the building into a true home. 

“Everyone I know loves this building,” said Sharon. “We all used to say, ‘wouldn’t it be great if it was turned into housing?’ And then the Northern Forest Center made it happen. It’s truly amazing. We want more people to benefit from projects like these – we’re just one family and we know the need goes well beyond us and beyond Bethel.” 

No longer vacant and neglected, the Gehring House is already becoming a living community where neighbors look out for and help one another – like family. It’s more than a renovation. It’s a renewal of connection, stability, and possibility in the heart of Bethel.