Meet Melody Living’s May Resident of the Month

​Meet Linda Kryder, Melody Living’s assisted living featured resident of May! We love getting to know each of our residents here at Melody Living Colorado Springs and can’t wait for you to meet Linda Kryder.
 
Linda Kryder was born in 1932 and grew up in Taiwan. She lived in Taiwan until 1957, when she got married to her husband and moved to America in her 20’s.

​Linda and her spouse, John, met in high school and were married for “too many years to count,” according to Linda. 

​She said they were married for about 70 years. John recently passed away at 94 years of age. They have two children, a son and daughter; along with a grandson and granddaughter.

​She also just had a great-grandchild arrive last month!
 
Linda met her husband during high school, when she was working as a translator for the military at the American Compound.

Linda translated several different languages, including Japanese and Chinese for the American soldiers. She speaks four languages, Japanese, Chinese, English, and Taiwanese.

​Linda went to grade school in Taiwan. She explained that the school system in Taiwan is very different compared to the free education system we have in place in America.
 
In Taiwan, the government only allows children to participate in classes up to 6th grade. Anything higher you would have to pay tuition and pass tests to continue through to higher education.
 
A pivotal moment in history for Linda was moving to America. “This is the best country in the world,” she added.

​After moving to the United States, Linda attended Pikes Peak Community College. Upon graduation, she worked for the United States Air Force for 22 years in various departments. ​

​She has traveled to many beautiful places throughout her life, but her favorite places include the Philippines and Japan!

Her favorite holiday is Christmas. She reveals, “It’s so different from anything I’ve celebrated in other cultures.” Her favorite sport is bowling, and she has lived in five states.
 
Linda’s greatest accomplishment was starting her own dog rescue company for Great Pyrenees dogs. She ran this business for more than 20 years and rescued 2,000+ dogs.

​She lived on two acres of land which made a great space for all the rescue dogs to play. She fell in love with one rescue and she took it home as her own!

​Linda is very involved in the community at Melody Living and our weekly activities. Her favorite hobbies are exercising, origami making, reading, art, and spending time with friends.
 
Her favorite part of Melody Living is “Just about everything! I am a very outgoing person, and I am involved in many things around the community.

​My favorite activities are the live music performances, dance outings, and art classes,”she added.

​​Linda’s advice for others is “Live life to the fullest- don’t be afraid to get involved in everything you can! The more you get involved the more you learn.”

We can’t wait to share more stories from our amazing residents with you. To learn more about our assisted living community in Colorado Springs, visit our contact page or give us a call at 719.960.4005.