JERRI CALDRONIA: STILL PACKING, STILL GOING

by Shanon Weaver

Some people slow down when life changes. Jerri Caldronia bought a camper.

That alone tells you something essential about her. Jerri is not especially interested in shrinking her life. Over the years, that life has carried her from Southeast Texas to a long career in education, from raising a family to building a new chapter in North Texas, and now into a season filled with travel, friendship, and the kind of adventures that still leave room for surprise.

Jerri grew up in Nederland, Texas, between Beaumont and Port Arthur on the Gulf Coast. She graduated from Nederland High School and went on to Lamar University to study elementary and special education. Before finishing her degree, she met her husband, Vincent, while he was home on leave from Vietnam with the Air Force. They met in February, married that September, and built their life together in Abilene before eventually returning to Southeast Texas.

She spent decades in education, teaching mostly first grade, along with second and fourth, before moving into administration. By the time she retired in 2006, she had served as both a middle school and elementary principal. Even then, she wasn’t quite finished. She returned to school, became a certified diagnostician, and kept working. In 2008, she and Vincent moved to North Texas to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Today she lives in a Del Webb community in McKinney, where she stays busy with church, reading, and friends.

Travel has also become one of the great pleasures of this chapter.

In recent years, Jerri has found herself frequently on the move—sometimes with groups, sometimes on her own, always with a growing sense of confidence about navigating it all. What she enjoys most is the balance of independence and connection. “I can go by myself, and have my own room, and have plenty of friends to do things with,” she says. “I really enjoy that. I don’t have to wait around to try to work around somebody else’s plans.”

In one year alone, she cruised the Caribbean, visited Niagara Falls, traveled through Ireland, and explored Boston and Kennebunkport. This year, she has already been to Hawaii and Savannah, with more still ahead.

Ireland stands out as a favorite, though. “It’s just so pretty,” she says. “And the people are so much fun, just full of joy.” She loved the contrast between Belfast and southern Ireland, especially the shift in architecture and atmosphere.

Savannah offered something different. While there, she attended a performance of The Sound of Music at the historic Savannah Theatre. “It was a magnificent performance,” she says. “Everything about it was just so enjoyable.”

Still, for all the planes, ships, and itineraries, the deepest thread in Jerri’s travel life may be camping.

She and Vincent camped often in Texas state parks—sometimes eight or nine trips a year. After his passing, it would have been easy to leave that part of her life behind. Instead, she realized how much it still mattered to her. “I just missed it,” she says. “I just missed camping.”

So she made a decision.

She called some friends who had been talking about upgrading their camper and told them that if they were serious, she would buy their old one. They were surprised. Jerri wasn’t joking. She bought the camper, bought a vehicle to pull it, and got back on the road.

Not without nerves, of course. The first time she hauled it to Mount Magazine State Park in Arkansas, she admits, “I was praying the whole way.” But practice has a way of turning fear into familiarity. These days, she says it’s “not quite as scary or challenging” as it once was.

More than that, she takes pride in it. “By George, I can back up that camper, and I can put it where it needs to be,” she says proudly.

That line says a lot. Jerri isn’t chasing adventure for the sake of it. She simply enjoys going—meeting up with friends, returning to favorite parks, and planning whatever comes next.

Asked what advice she would offer other seniors wanting to travel more, she keeps it grounded. “You have to realize how important it is to be around other people, and how important it is to build relationships,” she says. Then she adds the part that feels like the heart of it all: “Every day, you have to deliberately find joy.”

Jerri Caldronia, clearly, does just that.