Meet Your New Neighbors

Dan and Sarah Gildea arrived in Tehachapi from San Diego in November. Health problems forced Dan to sell the auto repair shop in Santee he had owned for 30 years and retire. The San Diego area is an expensive place to live if you're retired so he and Sarah began to search for an area that would suit their retirement needs. Affordability was a big factor and they also wanted a house that had room for Dan's welding shop. Dan said that he found Tehachapi on the internet so he and Sarah began to explore Tehachapi. They found that they really liked the peacefulness. It took them almost a year, but they finally found the perfect house in Stallion Springs.

Dan was born and raised in the La Mesa area of San Diego. He has a brother and three sisters. One of his sisters is planning to move back to San Diego from Seattle soon. He also has family in Portland and his brother lives on Lopez Island in Puget Sound. Dan said that he has always worked in auto repair, specializing in welding. He started working with dealerships repairing Hondas, Acuras and other Japanese cars. Thirty years ago he had the opportunity to buy the business in Santee and he never looked back. He is currently looking forward to doing more creative projects with his welding, perhaps art work and has his eye on the new welding program offered by Cerro Coso. He said he really likes cycling, so I made a point to remind him that the Tehachapi GranFondo is coming up in September - just in case.

Sarah said that she was born in Mexico but her family came to the San Diego area when she was very young and she was raised there. She said that at one time there were eight kids in her family but she now has only two brothers and a sister left. She has three grown children from a prior marriage and three grandchildren. She proudly adds that one graduated from Penn State, one from UC Santa Barbara, and one from Cal State Chico. For 10 years in San Diego she worked as Executive Secretary of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. She retired from that position four years ago. In her free time, she likes to take designer purses and recondition and update them.

Both Dan and Sarah are looking forward to doing some traveling, first probably to the Pacific Northwest to visit family. Their two canine children, a Cairnoodle named Freddie and a Cocker Spaniel named Truffles, are also looking forward to improved facilities.

It appears the projects are endless. We wish Dan and Sarah a big Tehachapi welcome. Enjoy your new home.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.