Leland resident Sue Trumbull finds a way to stay active and involved in the community in all seasons, only seemingly slowing down to take in the beauty — whether by picture or through other interests — that is Leelanau County.
A full-time resident for over a decade now, Trumbull said she and her husband, Tom, are blessed to live in a supportive and caring community during their retirement years.
“It’s the beauty, but it’s also the beauty in the people. I can’t say that there’s a lot of people that I’ve met here that aren’t great, hardworking, good people,” Trumbull said. “I’ll be 68 in a month, it’s kind of like you want to be surrounded by the people that you love, and we are truly lucky that all our kids decided to move here from wherever they were.”
Before the Trumbull’s made the move from Ohio to be fulltime Leelanau residents over a decade ago, she said they would make weekend trips in the summer with the kids. Tom’s parents owned a cottage on Lake Leelanau, and with his skills from his career as a pilot, they would fly into Sugar Loaf when it used to have a runway.
“It took us an hour to fly up from Toledo and we’d be up Friday night and would leave Sunday night, it was great,” she said.
Trumbull graduated from the University of Toledo after studying physical education, and while that was her focus, she ended up taking on a job with a market research company, where she would eventually meet her husband.
When they started having children, she retired from market research. Once the kids were old enough and in school, she said she went back to work and managed the front desk at the small Toledo Suburban Airport, of which she and her husband owned and operated. At the time, Trumbull said their middle son was coming into the business, so Tom would be back in Toledo from Leland three to four days a week working at the airport.
Since moving to Leland, both Trumbull and Tom have been involved in the community in some way or another, whether it be through volunteering or various leisure activities. Over the years, Trumbull has served in different capacities, such as serving as president of the Leland Education Foundation, and volunteering and supporting campaigns with county nonprofi ts like Genuine Leelanau, Kids First Uganda, as well as with Friends of Lake Leelanau. She has also found fulfillment helping at her local church, Leland United Methodist Church, and with supporting 5Loaves2Fish, which is based at the church.
One group she’s been involved with for many years is Genuine Leelanau, a small nonprofit founded in 1983 that works to improve the wellbeing of Leelanau County’s children, individuals, and families. She said their annual summer fundraiser held in June had a great turnout as they raised thousands of dollars to donate to LIFT, a county youth afterschool program. In previous years, Genuine Leelanau has donated funds to other local organizations like PoWeR Book Bags, Exposures, Inland Seas, and the Glen Arbor Art Center.
“Doing volunteer work — I just think it is so important, and hopefully we can pass that on to our children, the importance of it. It’s just helping out your fellow man when he needs help,” she said.
Trumbull also likes to keep busy by attending a weekly Bible study group with her church and by embracing outdoor recreational activities like riding eBikes or playing tennis. Mondays and Fridays are booked solid though as she is a full-time babysitter for her 2.5-year-old granddaughter.
“We like to go to Interlochen to the concerts and even to the Cherry Fest,” she said. “So we end up going to a lot of concerts… just with the Leland Yacht Club and the country club it just seems like we’re super busy all the time.”
Trumbull and her family live in Leelanau County year-round, and while some don’t like the busy summer season, she said she loves seeing all the people visit and enjoy the area.
“I love to see the summer people come in and play tennis with the summer gals… and it’s kind of fun to see the town settle down again and we can go back to restaurants and do all this stuff,” she said. “We like the snow, and because we get to live on Lake Michigan, the best sunsets are in the winter by far. I’m obsessed with posting my Facebook sunsets to the point that my kids are like ‘stop.’” Despite Tom being retired, Trumbull said he still likes taking people for scenic plane rides off the water. A lot of the time throughout the season, he’ll donate some rides for a cause and people will bid on it. While his schedule is fairly busy and booked, Trumbull said she tries to get a plane ride in with him before he takes the plane out of the water for the season to enjoy the natural beauty of the county from above.
“He likes to take people for rides, like taking off from the water and landing on the water. It’s more of a scenic thing… so it’s really beautiful to see, you think you’re in the Bahamas sometimes if the sun’s just right and you can see through the water,” she said. “I try to get up when the color is peak. You can get some beautiful pictures then.”
