Sun City residents Michael Hollis and his wife, Norita Degallado, share a deep passion for music that brought them together.
Hollis fondly recalls, “A friend of ours introduced us in 2007. We went out together once.”
Degallado adds, “We talked about music, but we made no plans to get together.”
Ten years later, Hollis went to entertain at an event.
“I got there, and there was a little confusion since an entertainer was already there,” he said. “After some discussion, I found out that I was scheduled a month later. I showed up on April 1 when it should have been May 1. I asked if I could stay anyhow and enjoy the show.”
Although, in this case, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. At first, they didn’t recognize each other.
Degallado said, “I thought he was a resident at the place. This time, we did click. We found out that neither of us had gotten married.”
Hollis added, “A year later, we were married.”
The couple has been entertaining ever since. They have performed in Sun City, including in their neighborhood, retirement homes, nursing homes, other senior communities, and restaurants.
Degallado said, “Our entertainment includes old standard songs that people from various retirement and nursing communities can relate to. I take the audience down memory lane as they listen to this wonderful music that was once a part of their lives. We touch lives, rekindle lost memories, and bring joy to the hearts of so many elderly.”
Hollis said, “We have performed in different venues, which include retirement and nursing facilities, congregations, senior associations, and private parties. Locally, we have entertained at Huntley Springs, Alen Estates, Heritage Woods, Boathouse, and Rookies. We have entertained in Wisconsin.”
Hollis enjoys interjecting a joke or two into the act: “I’ve got two dogs named Rolex and Timex. They’re both watchdogs.”
Degallado said, “We love entertaining at Huntley Springs. They energize us and have a lot of fun. They get on the dance floor and dance to the music.”
Hollis shares this treasured memory of a one-room schoolhouse he attended as a child. “The room was set up in rows; the last row was for the eighth-graders. I had an older sister at the schoolhouse. I like to say that I was the smartest one in 4th grade, but I was the only one in 4th grade. We all got along. We played games like jacks. The school closed down, and I had to attend Oakland Grade School.”
The York House schoolhouse in Waukegan was a one-room schoolhouse located on the southeast corner of Green Bay Road and Yorkhouse Road (near Bairstow Avenue). It was first built as a log cabin in the early 1840s.
