Meet Maxine “Max” Ranicke, one of our newest owners in the Unit 50 villas. Although, Max is not new to SaddleBrooke—she has lived here for 18 years. In 2005, Max and her husband, Rip, moved here full-time, retiring from Kirkland, Washington.
Many years earlier, when Rip was in the Air Force, he did some of his training in Southern Arizona. In 2005, he began thinking about retirement and suggested they visit some active adult communities in Tucson. Max and Rip looked at a few communities, and then they found SaddleBrooke. “As you know, you drive over that hill and there in front of you is this marvelous looking village in a beautiful valley at the base of the mountains… it is unexpected and it just hits you,” Max explained.
They looked at housing packages and thought about going through the process to have a home built for them. Rip was ready, but Max was not quite sure about retiring just yet. They headed back to Washington without making a commitment. Six months later, when Max was ready, they came back to find their retirement home. Unfortunately, prices had climbed significantly—about $100,000— and there were only 12 houses on the market. Sounds similar to the recent housing market of 2021 in SaddleBrooke.
They looked and looked. Rip really wanted a mountain view out back. After evaluating the available homes and coming up empty, their agent found a home that was just coming on the market, and they bought it. “It needed remodeling [because] it was in horrible condition. But it had a full mountain view and Rip was happy as a clam,” Max reflected. “We went in and ripped out the floors, removing assorted tile and carpet and put travertine down. There were massive boulders in the front yard. So, we hired a guy with a bulldozer! He dug big holes and buried the bottom half of the rocks. It was instantly better!”
Rip was a very athletic guy who played baseball for the Detroit Tigers. Once in SaddleBrooke, he got involved in golf and tennis. He also liked his poker and barbershop with the guys. Max got into tennis, ballroom dancing, joined the Sonoran Singers, water aerobics, and most of all: painting. She has been painting for many years. Max explained, “I had a million lessons before SaddleBrooke; and when I got here, I joined in and took even more lessons.” Max creates beautiful oil paintings of mostly figures and landscapes.
Max and Rip were married for 51 years. When they came together, it was almost like The Brady Bunch—he came as a package with three kids, and she came as a package with two kids. When they married the kids were 10, nine, eight, seven, and six-years-old. Co-parenting in combined families presents varying challenges depending on the ages of the kids. They learned so much about parenting blended families that they developed and offered a class in their community.
Max supported Rip for many years through his challenge with Alzheimer’s. He was diagnosed in 2014 and she lost Rip in August of 2022. “People with memory loss can get by for several years using their social skills in public. But at home they start repeating and repeating and repeating themselves. You will notice,” Max shared. When Rip started struggling, Max kept a journal and shared it with his doctor. This helped the doctor better understand the magnitude of Rip’s situation.
“During those caregiving years, I had been staying home and didn’t get out much.” One day, at Basha’s, Rip was enjoying a coffee while Max was shopping. When Max returned, she found Rip talking to a new friend. Turns out this gentleman shared a similar situation: his wife was also struggling with memory loss. That random introduction has provided much wonderful support as they have both lost their spouses to Alzheimer’s now.
Now in 2023, Max has been adjusting to life on her own. She is a vibrant, confident woman, who lives life with a smile on her face. She stays busy attending water aerobics, painting and getting together with friends.