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New residents keep passion up in the air

Before moving to Aberdeen Village, Bill Payne enjoyed building, repairing, and flying his large model airplanes.

“I probably had 8-9 of them before,” Bill said. “I just have a love of flying. I had a whole basement set up to repair and build those planes. Most of them made from balsa wood, with a gas engine that had between 35 and 55 horsepower. But you had to take the wings off to move them, because the wings could be 7-8 feet wide.”

Now, however, he’s made the transition to smaller, electric-powered airplanes that can be easily stored in his garage at Aberdeen Heights.

In addition to flying model planes, Bill held a private pilot’s license and owned an airplane that he and wife Frankie would use to travel throughout the United States.

“We flew to Vegas a couple of times, and our family still lives in Louisiana so we’d fly down and back. It’s a quick flight - only takes a couple of hours.”

Since moving to Aberdeen Village at the end of July, Bill and Frankie have settled in nicely.

“They provide a dinner and I’m glad I don’t have to cook every night,” Frankie said.

“We’re gradually in the process of making friends,” Bill said. “They have a lot of activities, and we’re kind of watching those. They have a social gathering on Friday and we go to that. They serve wine and hors d’oeuvres and have an outside entertainer, usually music, like a clarinet and violin.”

Before living at Aberdeen Village, Bill and Frankie lived in Gardner, where Bill had an accounting business until 2007, when he sold it.

“But I kept going up to help out during tax season,” Bill said.

The couple has four children, 12 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. Their three daughters live nearby, along with most of the grandchildren, and they have been instrumental in helping Bill and Frankie downsize, move, and set up their new home.

“It’s taken some time, but we’re getting into the routine,” Bill said. “We’ve made some connections with people. The food is very good. And they do a very good job decorating here for Christmas. They’ve got Christmas trees on every floor, and electric trains set up. We’re glad to be here.”

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