Coming full circle

Over 20 years ago, Shirley Overland was instrumental in bringing the Custer County Housing Commission and Landover Estates to Custer, and the name of the building is a play on her name. Today, she is one of Landover’s newest residents.

Aâ��month ago, Shirley moved into a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor at Landover. She said the decision was an emotional one that wasn’t easy.

“When I turned 92 last January, the kids said ‘why don’t you move into Landover,’” she said.â��“They said it a number of times.”

Her children didn’t like the idea of her still living alone in her home three miles west of town, tasked with doing homeowner chores such as shoveling the sidewalk. Shirley decided it was best if the family sit down and discuss the idea first.

She and her children all made a list of the pros and cons of her moving to Landover. When the pros outweighed the cons, she decided to contact Connie Gorsuch, current Custer County Housing director, about moving to Landover. Shirley said if she was going to move into the facility it had to be on the second floor, and it had to be in a north facing apartment, so she had a view of the Needles. Such an apartment was open.

“We came over and looked at it. Iâ��thought I should take it,” Shirley said. “Iâ��had been praying about it. Iâ��prayed God would lead me step by step.”