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For Ray and Terry Swansen, residents of Legacy of Leesburg, retirement means spending most of their free time helping others. They spend several hours a day making teddy bears and afghans for Camp Boggy Creek, a camp for seriously ill children. Ray designs and cuts  out the cloth for each bear, while Terry is busy at the sewing machine assembling them. Terry also crochets afghans for the children at the camps. She is responsible for starting this important work in Legacy.
Ray and Terry are very active in the community. Terry helped to organize the bocce teams, and was Chairman of the "cookbook" committee that sold cookbooks to raise money for additions to the bocce courts. She is presently helping to form the Weight Watchers club, plays Bridge on Fridays, bowls on Tuesdays and enjoys swimming and water aerobics three days a week. Ray enjoys bowling and pitching horseshoes. He is a member of the Legacy Finance Committee. On occasion, the Swansens will take a break by working on the large puzzle that is spread across the dining room table.
Ray was born and raised in Chicago, but lived in Wisconsin and Nevada, where he met Terry. Terry was born and raised in New Jersey, and lived in New York and California before moving to Las Vegas. After their marriage, Ray and Terry lived in Arizona and Texas before coming to Central Florida.
Ray obtained his degree in Mechanical Engineering and taught drafting at a trade school in Chicago. He was a printing press designer for Miehle-Goss-Dexter for 17 years, a position that required  traveling across the U.S. and to foreign countries. He held a variety of managerial positions, and later taught CAD for ten years at the Education Dynamics Institute.
After high school, Terry served in the Women's Army Corp as a clerk for two years, and then became a homemaker for over 26 years raising their four children. She returned to work for the County of San Diego for over 15 years as a clerk and Payroll Supervisor before moving to Las Vegas. They have seven grandchildren.
In their search for a retirement home, Ray and Terry wanted to settle in a state that had no state income tax, a community that did not have a golf course, and a community that was not too large. Legacy of Leesburg attracted their interest, since these conditions were met. They enjoy the Central Florida weather without struggling with the traffic that occurs in season on the coasts. "Legacy has very nice neighbors, who are willing to share and help one another," said Ray. The Swansens feel that the many activities that are a part of life in Legacy make it an ideal community to build a retirement home.
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