After 51 years in the family home on Fourth Avenue, Margie Piering decided it was time to downsize. She’s moving to the Pocket area, closer to her middle son, Rob, and his family.
Margie sums up Curtis Park’s ambience: “It’s a feeling – the neighbors, the trees and this home.” She marvels that Curtis Park has retained this particular sense of caring neighbors since she arrived in 1968.
While the Sacramento suburbs were the choice for young families, the Pierings chose a different path. Her late husband, Jerry, worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and during his commute home, he drove through Curtis Park and enjoyed the established neighborhood with a mature tree canopy.
The couple moved into their home in February 1968 with their three boys, who were 6, 5 and 2 at the time. With its close proximity to Sierra School and the adjacent park, their home quickly became the neighborhood gathering spot for their sons’ friends.
The Piering boys attended the Sierra School. From her front yard view, she could hear the kids play at the park and watch them walking to and from school. Back then, parents on her street would honk a car horn at 5 p.m. as the signal for the kids to come home for dinner.
Jerry ran the Curtis Park Little League for years, in a space behind the Sacramento Children’s Home. They used and built baseball diamonds on an empty lot behind the Children’s Home, which meant that resident children could play at no cost.
Margie’s grandkids are having a difficult time with her move, especially since her home is an easy walk from Gunther’s and Sierra Green.
While she’ll miss her home and neighbors, “The neighborhood isn’t getting rid of me; I’ll be back,” said Margie.