Kathy Swan

Home means a million different things to me. Mostly, to me, it is a place where family loves and grows together.

My story begins when I married my husband, Curt, in 1973. We were an Air Force family and “base housing” was considered home for our entire 21 years in the military. For Curt’s final assignment, we were transferred to Cheyenne, WY, where we excitedly bought our first home together in 1993. Curt was thrilled to be “home” as Cheyenne was where he was born. After Curt retired in 1993, we called Cheyenne home for 23 years.

Our lives drastically changed in August 2006, when Curt was unexpectedly diagnosed with leukemia. He lost his valiant fight against cancer in May 2007 and, suddenly, home was no longer the house in Cheyenne. It was during the years after my husband’s passing that home needed to be a place where I was surrounded by the love and comfort and encouragement from my family. My family lived in Casper, WY. I wanted to be with my daughter and grandchildren, so I moved to Casper, with the hope that I would eventually be able to purchase a small house there. I admit, the whole process was a scary venture into the unknown as a “senior” venturing out on my own for the first time. But then I met my lender, and that fear disappeared almost immediately. They were so great at walking me through every part of the process and their calm demeanor allowed me to remain calm as well.

In September 2016, my dream of owning my own home became a reality. This was due, in large part, to the assistance offered by WCDA. WCDA means the world to me. I am so grateful that I was able to qualify for a home mortgage. From my first steps of applying for a mortgage with the bank, to the final steps ending with WCDA, I worked with so many caring professionals who came together to help make this a smooth process. With WCDA as my mortgage servicer I know, without a doubt, that I have people who care about me that are walking this journey with me, and that means the world to me.

I have been blessed to call so many places home- each a gem in my life story. The house I am in now allows me to start a new chapter of my life, and working with WCDA allowed that to happen. Home can be only a building for some, but for me it means so much more. Home means love, support, family, memories. Home is a place of love for all of us; a place where we can treasure each other and our many blessings.

Home is where my family is, and WCDA made that a possibility for me.