Brooksby Village, the Erickson Senior Living community in Peabody, is celebrating 25 years!
To mark the community’s silver anniversary, a variety of events and programs have been held throughout the year, including monthly interviews with pioneer residents on the in-house TV channel, erecting a peace pole, a champagne happy hour with music, lighting remembrance luminarias, and a Unity Festival.
A closing event, featuring an outdoor movie and the assembly of a time capsule for future residents to unearth, is planned for this fall.
“Planning Brooksby’s 25th anniversary celebrations has not only been fun but a good opportunity to pause and reflect on the community’s growth and success,” said Resident Services Manager Melissa Luke.
Pioneering the way
Brooksby Village welcomed its first 150 “pioneer” residents in 2000. By 2003, the campus had expanded to accommodate 650 residents. In 2025, Brooksby’s 90-acre campus is now home to more than 1,700 residents, served by 800-plus staff members.
Among these pioneer residents were Jim Silva and his late wife Dorothy, who made the move to Thorndike Gardens — the first residence building — when the community was still under construction.
When the couple were exploring their senior living options, there were no finished residences to tour at Brooksby, so the sales team suggested they visit other Erickson Senior Living communities — Charlestown, in Catonsville, MD., and Greenspring, in Springfield, VA.
“They set us up to visit Charlestown and Greenspring and visit apartments there,” Silva recalled. “They did a good job. We were impressed — impressed enough that we eventually ended up moving here to Brooksby.”
Silva was especially excited to leave all the responsibilities of homeownership behind. “I wanted to get away from snow blowing, gutter cleaning — all the things that come with taking care of a home,” he said.
Now, he’s been enjoying Brooksby’s vibrant, worry-free lifestyle for 25 years, and he couldn’t be happier.
Exciting growth
While Sales Director Gina Fernandez isn’t a pioneer staff member, she still boasts an impressive tenure. She started her career at Brooksby as a high school student, just a couple years after the community opened.
“I started in 2002 as a waitress in the Windsor Restaurant,” Fernandez said. “There was only one neighborhood complete when I arrived: Town Center.”
Two additional neighborhoods, the Kingsbury and McIntosh clubhouses and their adjoining residence buildings, were constructed during her tenure as well as the community’s continuing care neighborhood, Braeburn Gardens.
“As a student server, I only knew my little bubble that was the Windsor Restaurant,” Fernandez recalled. “I didn’t realize there were so many other departments here supporting the growing resident population — until I started working in catering. There, I learned my way around campus to support various events, and I started getting to know employees from other departments.”
Upon graduating college, she took on an administrative role in Dining Services. Later, she joined the Human Resources team, where she learned even more about the expanding community.
“Now, my favorite thing about working with the sales team at Brooksby is helping new residents settle in. They are so happy once they make the move!” she said. “In fact, most say they wish they had moved in sooner.”
She added, “I truly enjoy the Brooksby culture. What we have here is unique, and I am blessed to have been a part of it for so many years.”
Lots to love
Now, Brooksby is a fully established and thriving community, boasting 10 residence buildings and three clubhouses, which serve as hubs of activity. Fitness and aquatics centers; delicious, made-to-order meals at six restaurants; and engaging interest groups and clubs are just steps from residents’ homes.
Plus, with recent updates to the Town Center and Kingsbury clubhouses, Brooksby is celebrating its 25th birthday in style.
With so much to love and enjoy at the community, it should come as no surprise that Silva knows he made the right decision.
“I am very happy with the move we made to Brooksby,” said Silva.
“It’s been wonderful, hearing from resident and staff pioneers, sharing pieces of the community’s history, and sharing our goals for the future,” added Luke. “We’re excited for another 25 years ahead.”
To learn more about affordable, independent senior living at Brooksby, request your free brochure to get the scoop on amenities, floor plans, and so much more.
