“The Getting To Know You” resident speaker program at The Atwater at Nocatee has announced the guest speaker for 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 6. Residents, guests and the general public are invited to attend.
Chad Priesman is a happy man with a ready smile and a helping hand for anyone who needs it. And a ukelele!
Priesman’s first retirement came in 1998 when he retired from his job as a plant manager of an injection molding company in Plano, Illinois. After retirement, he and his wife, Mimi, moved to Pensacola, where Priesman enrolled in ministry school. He obtained his degree and became an ordained minister and wedding officiant with degrees in theology and practical ministry. He has done mission work in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Priesman returned to Pensicola where he went back to work with an air pollutions control company. He kept that position until 2024 when he retired again to help care for his wife in the last stages of her life. After her passing, Priesman’s grief was overwhelming and he didn’t quite know how to cope.
He moved to Jax Beach, where he embraced the beach scene and even took up the ukulele. He took lessons, watched tons of YouTube videos, bought first one then two more ukuleles and was soon playing on the beach to an ever-expanding group of admirers.
While he was coping better with his grief, he knew the beach wasn’t his answer. He needed more stability, more people his own age and a need to find “his tribe.” After touring a number of apartment complexes, he walked into The Atwater at Nocatee and knew he was home.
Today, Priesman lives a rich and enriching life. He plays pool and poker, attends all the lecture series and is a rock star at karaoke.
But all that pales in comparison to the wisdom, joy and kindness he brings to the Atwater community. Priesman says he found his “home” at The Atwater. In reality, residents feel he has brought the true meaning of the word “home” to the community.
