Reminiscing with the Rampkes

A Visit with Carole and Roger

By Dale Dauten

It’s always a vote of confidence for a place when RVers decide that’s where they want to settle — after all, they’ve been traveling the country and have endless options. That’s how it was for Carole and Roger Rampke, who chose Silveridge after three years on the road in their RV, buying a place back in 1992. But they didn’t just pick the park once… they ended up leaving in 2000 and now they’ve returned, choosing Silveridge a second time.

We recently sat down with the Rampkes and they explained their going and coming back in this bit of conversation:

Carole: We were happy here but a friend took us to go look at a model home in a new condo development.

Roger: We walked in and I saw the look in Carole’s eyes and I thought, ‘That’s it.’ We’d always been move-abouts, so we ended up buying a place. We were there 18 years, the longest we lived anywhere. And then we tried apartment living.

Carole: But, I realized that, down the road, I’d really rather have a park model.

Roger: I handed her the checkbook.

Carole: And here we are.

Roger: We looked at other parks but none fit. This was home.
So, after more than two decades away, the Rampkes were back at Silveridge. Carole keeps scrapbooks and she shared photos from the ‘90s, but she was also wearing a memory – notice Carole’s shirt in the above photo with Roger. That’s from their first time at the park, and the back of the shirt even featured a park map.

As Carole shared her scrapbooks, she and Roger reminisced about those days. The first photo is from a cruise during that time, the early 1990s:

As for Silveridge, they were among the first residents of Dove Street and they talked about how those neighbors bonded together, often playing various pranks on each other. For instance, when the Rampkes were gone for a month, touring Southeast Asia, they returned to find their park model decorated on the outside, and when they went inside, discovered hundreds and hundreds of balloons.

There were also a pair of ceramic ducks waiting on their front walk… those ducks lived on Dove Street, getting moved from home to home, for nearly twenty years.

The Rampkes also recalled how the folks on Dove Street were always eager to get together. Sometimes those were organized, as with the Waffle Breakfasts, but the photo below is from a December day when a visit with a neighbor turned in a spontaneous Christmas caroling event.

And then there was the time the park got hit with a microburst strong enough to snap off power poles along Southern Avenue. (Perhaps that’s why they’re now made of metal.)

Roger smiled at his recollections about the park’s first big Super Bowl event. Roger decided there should be a party for the game and he arranged to have the game projected onto the screen in the ballroom. They had hot dogs and beer, and neighbors brought appetizers. Roger described the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, saying, “I remember that we filled the place and at halftime I had to run out and buy another keg.

THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE PARK

As we talked in the Silveridge lobby, Activities Director Lu Way joined in. She told us that she’d discovered some old park photos she moved into her office last year. Here’s the park in its earliest days.

BEFORE SILVERIDGE: THE RAMPKES’ EARLY DAYS

Finally, we asked the Rampkes to tell us a bit about their days prior to their first stay at Silveridge, including how they came to be a couple.
Carole was born and raised in Glendale, California. Roger was born in Illinois, but his family moved to La Crescenta, California when he was just a grade-schooler. The family stayed in Southern California and Roger had a 25-year career with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Even while working as a firefighter, Roger also worked part-time as an X-ray tech at a local hospital. It was that later job that ended up bringing the couple together.

Roger was doing two years of training for the x-ray job by working at a children’s hospital in Los Angeles. Roger tells the story: “My next-door neighbor had a teenage daughter who was friends with Carole. Well, the daughter had seen me coming and going in the white uniform we wore at the hospital and she thought I was a doctor. And she thought Carole should meet the doctor. The neighbors had a swimming pool and one day I heard, ‘Roger! Roger! Come swim with us.’ I looked over the fence and there was Carole in a bikini. I came right over.”

It turned out that Carole was still in high school, and already going steady, but the two fell in love and, as Carole, put it, “Here we are, 63 years later.”

Silveridge Events

From the Activity Team

Greetings from the Activity Office!

We are so excited to have the resort filling up! The buzz of friends connecting, laughter in the air and crowded courts and pool deck fill our hearts with joy! We love seeing those we met last season and look forward to

meeting our new friends. We had a blast at our Welcome Back Pool Party. DJ/KJ Greg Whitmarsh had us dancing. No one will forget Electric Blue DJ Eric at the Halloween dance with his many, many costumes. I’m still laughing.

BREAKFAST!

They say it’s the most important meal of the day. This year we are selling a punch card for breakfast. 6 breakfast punches for $35. That’s like buy 6 get one free. Regular price is $7. Don’t forget to get those tickets at Activities.

We have many activities coming up this month in November. One of November’s most important events is our Veterans Day ceremony. Veterans Day is an important day to honor and show appreciation for ALL who have

served in the military—in wartime or peacetime. We show appreciate to all veterans US and Canadian. We also honor our Gold Star families whose loved one died in service to our nation. This year, our ceremony is planned by a group of Silveridge residents who are all veterans. We also have a light lunch and a special musical performance by Jan Sandwich. Lunch tickets are $10 or free for Veterans. We hope you’ll join us on this very special day to show your appreciate for those who have served their country.

Silveridge Rocks!

We have an exciting new activity! We will be hiding these rocks around the Silveridge property. They WILL NOT be on anyone’s lot. They will be hidden somewhere on or in public access areas of the resort. If you see one of these beauties, bring it to the Activity Office and we will have a small prize waiting for you. Prizes might be candy, soda, keychain, a dinner dance ticket or a radio controlled clock, just to name a few. Thank you to Karen Schweigert for the beautiful job painting our rocks. Our very own Rock Hound Amy Foy is the chief elf in charge of hiding these beauties.

Stay tuned for even more fun in the sun at Silveridge.

Silveridge Rocks!

We have an exciting new activity! We will be hiding these rocks around the Silveridge property. They WILL NOT be on anyone’s lot. They will be hidden somewhere on or in public access areas of the resort. If you see one of these beauties, bring it to the Activity Office and we will have a small prize waiting for you. Prizes might be candy, soda, keychain, a dinner dance ticket or a radio controlled clock, just to name a few. Thank you to Karen Schweigert for the beautiful job painting our rocks. Our very own Rock Hound Amy Foy is the chief elf in charge of hiding these beauties.

Stay tuned for even more fun in the sun at Silveridge.

What’s new in the Silveridge Massage Office

The Silveridge Massage Office opened for the season on November 1. The private, in-park massage office is located behind the mailboxes and is staffed by state-licensed massage therapists, each with over a decade of experience.

For more information or to book an appointment you can call the massage office directly at (602) 309-2482 or visit www.resorttherapy.com

Meet Your Massage Therapists:

Marissa Valera

I have over a decade of massage experience, receiving my first Massage and Reiki 1 certification in California in 2011. I worked in the spa industry before running my own private practice and completing a mentorship in sports therapy. Two years ago, I moved to Arizona to care for my mother and became an Arizona State Licensed Massage Therapist.

I am currently attending school for nursing and psychology. When I’m not working or studying, I enjoy taking day trips with my mom, spending time with my dog, learning new cooking recipes, playing music, taking dance classes, teaching step aerobics, and practicing meditation.

My massage clients are grateful for a therapeutic experience in my treatment room, as each is treated with individual care and attention.

Heather Alderden

I began my massage career in 2005 in the Chicagoland/NW Indiana area and moved to Arizona with my family in 2012. I’ve been licensed as a massage therapist in Arizona since 2020, and I’m a professional member of AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association).

My practice includes Swedish massage, prenatal massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and positional release techniques that aid in bringing balance and function to restricted muscle tissue. Whether utilizing therapeutic or relaxation massage techniques, my mission is always to assist my clients in achieving a greater overall sense of health and well-being.