Senior Living with a Rich History

Perched atop Farley Mountain in Huntsville, Alabama, Redstone Village is a non-profit Life Care senior living community, sponsored by the Redstone Military Retirement Residence Association.

The original idea for Redstone Village came from Colonel Lee James, who envisioned a retirement facility where the close-knit group of military personnel connected to Redstone Arsenal could fulfill their retirement dreams. Colonel James enlisted the help of Retired Major General George E. Turnmeyer to spearhead the process in 1993, and their vision of an upscale integrated complex for retired military of the uniformed services and their qualified spouses with three levels of living – independent, assisted and skilled nursing – was underway. It was soon decided to include the civilian population in addition to military personnel, as Redstone Arsenal and greater Huntsville was truly an integrated military and civilian community.

The History of Redstone Village

General Turnmeyer became the first elected president of the board of directors. The original 14-member board also included Major General (ret) Melvin G. Bowling, Brigadier General (ret) William J. Fiorentino, Colonel (ret) Gordon N. Dison, Colonel (ret) Robert J. Feist, Colonel (ret) Leonard M. Winter, Sergeant Major (ret) Robert A. Whiteford, Mrs. Donna K. Hergert, Colonel (ret) Lee B. James, Sergeant Major (ret) John T. Marion, Colonel (ret) Arthur T. Ousley,  Mrs. Sally A. Shepard, Colonel (ret) William E. Lee, Jr. and Warrant Officer (ret) William L. Hicks.

The board obtained the backing of a Texas organization with expertise in the development of senior living communities, to manage the planning, financing and construction of the project. By spring of 1996, initial interest in the project had exceeded the board’s goal of 100 depositors – by this time, more than 130 people had reserved their future home at Redstone Village, and promotion of the community went nationwide. With the state of Alabama granting final approval for skilled nursing, the project moved forward on September 18, 1998.

The board identified a plot of commercial land, consisting of 88 beautifully wooded acres located conveniently by South Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, and selected a Birmingham construction company to begin work on the project. The official groundbreaking for Redstone Village took place on December 11, 2001.

On April 7, 2005, Redstone Village celebrated its official ribbon cutting ceremony. General Fiorentino, named as new board president, proudly presented the newly opened senior living community, calling Redstone Village “a shining city on a hill.”  General Turnmeyer had since become a resident of Redstone Village and advisor to the board.

In keeping with the vision of Colonel Lee and General Turnmeyer, Redstone Village has continued to grow since its inception, opening Grandview Gardens, a state-of-the-art memory support neighborhood, in December 2014 and further fulfilling their commitment to providing area seniors the finest continuing care retirement community in Huntsville.