From Ireland to Albemarle: Finding a Home at Taylor House

At more than 3,000 miles from his birthplace, Michael J. Coyle’s journey to living at Taylor House was a long and storied one. He’s originally from Ireland but now resides at the ThriveMore assisted living campus in Albemarle.

On a Wednesday in December, he shared about what brought him to Taylor House.

“I love America,” he said. “I enjoy America.” But that wasn’t always the case.

His international career in textiles led him to interact with a lot of Americans abroad in the 1960s, and their behavior never made him want to visit. But in 1969, a client problem caused him to be sent to New England for work. He moved permanently the next year and has lived in the US ever since, eventually moving to North Carolina, where it feels more like home.

“They’re more like Ireland here in the South – friendly people,” he said. Up until recently he was living with his son and daughter-in-law at Lake Tillory, but they did a lot of travel for work and he said he felt they were too obligated to stay home and take care of him, so he sat them down for a talk.

“I said, ‘Look, I’m going to have to live somewhere else because you’ve got your own life to live and I’m interfering with it,’” Michael said.

His daughter-in-law did some research and settled on Taylor House for him, and he’s been very happy with his experience since moving in in 2024. She decorated Michael’s room in lake-themed décor, and he said he’s met lots of wonderful people at Taylor House.

“One of the biggest things I find with the Taylor House is Ginger [Harris], Lashica [Johnson], and Kevin [Nowicki],” he said. “All three of those have been really good to me since I’ve been here and they make me feel welcome.”

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