Victor R. Westgate

Victor Westgate, along with his wife, Dr. Lisa Cowley, are proprietors of Joy in Aging, a speaking engagement organization that works with individuals to rediscover their life's purpose. Victor spent 34 years as an educator, teaching American history & government before retiring. In his second act, he joined with Dr. Lisa to start a niche farm growing shiitake mushrooms and culinary herbs in upstate New York; during the off seasons, they crisscrossed the United States from Maine to California, traveling more than 30,000 miles interviewing women and men from the ages of fifty to seventy-five. They incorporated their findings from these interviews along with research about purpose and wellness into "Pack Lightly: Making Sense of the Second Half of Your Life."

Victor and Dr. Lisa followed their own advice from "Pack Lightly" and moved from upstate New York. They have established roots in Warren, Rhode Island. Their new town is walkable, closer to their family, and has many of the characteristics one looks for in a pocket community.