Video displaying scenes from Westminster Gardens, a HumanGood Life Plan Community in Duarte, California

Isabel

A Tapestry of Art and Connection

For Isabel — known professionally as Isabella Ryder — art has never been confined to a single medium or moment in time. It has been a lifelong thread, woven through her career as an educator and artist in communities across California.

Isabel began her professional journey in the classroom, teaching young students language and visual arts. At the same time, she was cultivating her identity as a working artist. As a member of the Gold Country Artists Gallery, a cooperative space, she exhibited her work while continuing to explore new forms. She considers herself a multimedia artist, working fluidly across oil, acrylic and fiber arts — including intricate coil basketry. For Isabel, the process of creating is just as important as the final piece.

That belief in process and participation continues to shape her work and her life at Westminster Gardens.

Today, Isabel is as creatively involved as ever. She is expanding her presence in the broader art world, spending time in downtown Los Angeles exploring contemporary galleries and seeking new opportunities to exhibit her work in Southern California.

Here in the community, Isabel led a collaborative art project to celebrate Westminster Gardens’ 75th anniversary: a resident tapestry. Now displayed in the dining room, the tapestry stands as a shared heirloom — both personal and communal.

Collaboration continues to be at the heart of her work. Isabel has transformed her back porch into a creative gathering space, where she hosts small workshops and invites neighbors to create together. “I love hearing people’s stories,” she says. “That’s the real part of the art journey for me.”

Beyond her art, Isabel remains deeply engaged in community life. She serves on the spiritual connection committee and the grounds and maintenance committee, where she contributes ideas for sustainability initiatives — from improved recycling efforts to reduce light pollution.

For Isabel, this chapter isn’t a slowing down — it’s a reimagining. And like the tapestries she helps bring to life, it’s built one meaningful thread at a time.

Q&A:

What is the best part of living at Westminster Gardens?

It has given me something invaluable: peace of mind. I am free from maintaining my large home, so I can focus on what matters most: my art, my community and the joy of creating.

Did you have any hesitations?

There was a sense of uncertainty at first, but it didn’t take long to start forming connections. People here really take you under their wing.

What or who influenced your decision to move to Westminster Gardens?

A series of life changes made me take a hard look at what would be the safest and most sustainable place to live. Ultimately, it was my family who encouraged me to visit Westminster Gardens. Something just clicked; everything seemed to fall into place from there.

What advice do you have for someone looking to move to a Life Plan Community?

It’s important to plan so you can make this decision on your own terms and choose a place that truly fits your lifestyle. Your mental and emotional well-being matter just as much as the physical environment.

Edward and Edmond

New Cadence, Same Passion

For Edward and Edmond, life at Westminster Gardens isn’t about stepping back — it’s about stepping more fully into the people they’ve always been.

Edmond continues his work as a pharmacist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. His licensing and accreditation efforts ensure hospital regulatory compliance — work that keeps him closely tied to the pediatric patients and colleagues he has served for decades. “Staying connected to my profession keeps me sharp,” Edmond says. “And more importantly, it allows me to continue caring for children. That part never stops being meaningful.”

Back on campus, both Edmond and Edward are deeply woven into the daily life of Westminster Gardens. It’s not uncommon to find Edmond answering a neighbor’s question about medications or leading an informal conversation about health and wellness. Edward, drawing on his years in education — including his work at Pasadena City College — brings the same spirit of guidance and support to everything he does, whether mentoring, organizing speaker events or simply connecting with others.

Together, they’ve become active contributors across the community. Edward lends his expertise to the employee education assistance program, supporting team members pursuing further education, while Edmond contributes to both the team member appreciation fund and the benevolence committee. “What we love is that these efforts are resident-driven,” Edmond says. “It really feels like everyone is invested in taking care of one another.”

Their commitment to service remains a constant thread for them. At St. James Church, they are active and engaged; Edward serves on the parish council and supports adult literacy efforts through the Monrovia Public Library, and Edmond leads the usher ministry and works closely with Casa de la Alegría to support women and children in transition.

Even within their cottage, there’s a sense of balance — of a life thoughtfully chosen. The move from their long-term home was not without emotion, but it was intentional. They wanted a future that offered both independence and peace of mind — not only for themselves but also for their family. At Westminster Gardens, Edward and Edmond have created a life that feels full in every sense of the word — rich with purpose, grounded in service and alive with possibilities.

Q&A:

What is your advice to someone looking to move to a Life Plan Community?

Our advice is practical: Do your research, ask questions, understand the organization’s financial health and choose a place that aligns with your values.

What were you most surprised about?

The friendships have been the biggest surprise for both of us. You don’t just meet people — you truly get to know them. It’s a blessing.

What were you most hesitant about?

We wondered how we would be accepted in the community. We were pleasantly surprised that we were met with openness, understanding and genuine warmth. It’s been a truly wonderful experience living here.

How do you feel about your future?

We both feel a deep sense of peace about the future. There’s security here. We want to stay independent as long as we can — and if we ever need more support, it’s already in place.

Jennifer and Bill

Living in Motion

For Jennifer and Bill, movement isn’t something they fit into their day — it’s the foundation of how they live. Their routines aren’t about staying busy; they are about staying connected — to their bodies and their community. “Movement has always anchored my life, and it still does,” Jennifer says. That connection to movement has evolved into something larger: a way to serve others.

After 25 years in fundraising at the University of Southern California, she stepped away from full-time work to focus on what had long been a parallel passion: yoga. What began as a personal practice grew into a calling, especially as she leaned into teaching inclusive yoga for people with limited mobility.

“Yoga has never been just about flexibility for me,” she explains. “It’s about strength, balance and confidence — meeting people exactly where they are.”

Her classes — both in person and on Zoom — reflect that philosophy. One of her classes is even held right at Westminster Gardens. Whether leading mat-based or chair-supported sessions, Jennifer creates a space where people feel capable, not constrained. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s participation. It’s helping someone realize they are stronger than they thought and more balanced than they believed.

Bill, by his own admission, participates in smaller doses. “Thirty minutes is about my max,” he jokes. Still, his support — and his own commitment to staying active — mirrors the same philosophy: keep moving in whatever way works.

And then there are the quieter moments.

Just steps from home at Westminster Gardens, fruit trees — citrus, figs, apples, avocados and olives — offer a different kind of rhythm. Jennifer and Bill often spend time harvesting what’s in season, a simple act that feels both grounding and communal.

“There’s something about picking fruit together,” Jennifer says. “It slows you down. It connects you — to the season, to the people around you.”

In some years, the olives are even pressed into oil, a shared effort with neighbors that reflects the spirit of the Westminster Gardens community itself: collaborative, purposeful and rooted.

From the quiet focus of a yoga class to the open stretch of a bike ride and from acts of service to moments of stillness under fruit trees, Jennifer and Bill’s days are guided by a simple philosophy: Keep moving. Keep serving. Stay connected.

Q&A:

What surprised you the most?

It was the people. After more than three decades in our previous neighborhood, we knew only a handful of neighbors. Here, connections formed almost immediately.

How do you feel about your future?

These days, life feels balanced. It’s active and engaged, rooted in service and strengthened by community. We are living a truly fruitful life — one shaped by intention, movement and connection.

What is your advice?

Don’t wait too long to design a life that truly supports how you want to live.

Joe

An Enduring Life in Jazz

Joe LaBerbera will never step away from music. For more than five decades, it has shaped his rhythm, his relationships and his sense of purpose.

A legendary jazz drummer and composer, Joe’s career reads like a living archive of modern music. He is perhaps best known for his celebrated collaboration with pianist Bill Evans, with whom he recorded 16 albums and performed on stages around the world. His artistry has also supported an extraordinary roster of icons, including Chuck Mangione, Rosemary Clooney, Woody Herman and Tony Bennett. “I’ve been a professional musician since 1970,” Joe says. “It’s what I do.”

After living briefly in Phoenix, Joe made the move to Los Angeles, a city he knew well from numerous performances over the years. It’s also where he met Gillian in 1993. They married in 1995.

In addition to performing, Joe dedicated nearly three decades to shaping the next generation of musicians as a longtime faculty member at California Institute of the Arts. Even after retiring from teaching, his influence continues to resonate through the countless musicians he helped guide.

While international touring is behind him, he continues to perform regularly throughout Los Angeles and occasionally as far as Phoenix and New York. His connection to music isn’t defined by scale but by consistency and passion.

That same thoughtful approach carried into a major life transition. After two years on a waitlist, Joe and Gillian made the decision to downsize and embrace a simpler lifestyle at Westminster Gardens, where they live in a cozy, two-bedroom cottage tailored perfectly to their lifestyle today.

And naturally, music still takes center stage. “Instead of a dining room set, we have a drum set,” Joe says with a grin.

Life is far from quiet. Together, Joe and Gillian have become active members of their community — co-chairing the sports committee, co-chairing the fruit picking group, playing tennis and pickleball and participating in everything from chair yoga to ballroom dancing. They also contribute to the community garden.

Joe and Gillian’s involvement extends even further. They both serve on the benevolence committee and volunteer as PALs at Westminster Gardens and occasionally at a local charity in Duarte, helping prepare toy donations for families in need. It’s a life rich not just in music but also in connection and purpose.

For Joe, this chapter is about finding harmony between lifelong passion and newfound balance and between performance and peace.

Q&A:

Any surprises?

What surprised me the most was how much there is to do and how connected you feel here. You see your neighbors every day. You really get to know people, which is a great thing!

What is the best thing about living here?

The world can feel a little daunting at times, but here, there is a measure of stability that lets us relax, tune out the noise and focus on what really matters.

What caused you to look at community living?

We never want to be a burden on our daughter and her husband. We wanted to find a community where we could age in place, with a continuum of care if we ever needed it. And we found it!

Why did you select Westminster Gardens?

I give all credit to Gillian for exploring several options, including other HumanGood communities in Boise, Idaho, and Duarte, California. We both agreed that HumanGood was in sync with our own values and that Westminster Gardens stood out, with the added bonus of my daughter and son-in-law, who live nearby in Altadena.