Transplanted to Strafford

From the suburbs of Chicago to 417-land, a couple emptied their nest and took flight to build their dream home in southwest Missouri.

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The Malones’ home has an open layout and high ceilings that make the living space—with lots of seating—feel large.

"We keep thinking that somebody’s going to come knock on our door and tell us it is time to leave,” jokes Jeff Malone, describing how fortunate he and his wife, Sandy, feel about their new Strafford home. Set on five and a half acres, the brick French country–inspired house is the happy ending to a radical move that brought the Malones here after 45 years in a posh Chicago suburb. “We just pinch ourselves every day about how much we love living here,” he adds.

Having vacationed since 1972 at a family cabin on Bull Shoals Lake, the Malones were hoping to “stop and smell the roses” in a new city, says Sandy. “We looked in Arkansas and North Carolina, but we kept coming back to this area,” she says. “There was something about it that felt like home.”

Born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, the Malones spent their lives raising their three children in that western suburb of Chicago. “We had been thinking about a move for a couple of years,” Sandy says. “We hemmed and hawed about it when my daughter finally said ‘I hope when I’m 50 [years old] I’m not living in the same town I grew up in.’” That was the closest thing to a blessing that they were going to receive from their children, so they took the plunge.

The Malones’ three children have graduated from college and living on their own. Their son Kyle lives in Las Vegas and is doing research for a neuroscience company. Kyle’s twin, Colin, lives in Long Island and is earning his doctorate in biology. The Malones’ daughter, Leah, just graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and is working there for a political-science publication.

Jeff worked for years as an electrician who managed “hundreds of guys,” says Sandy. He was involved in the Soldier Field renovation (home of the White Sox), as well as many hospital and high school projects. The move to Springfield has allowed him to pursue work at home as a commodities trader. “It has definitely been a challenge out here for him sometimes,” says Sandy, referring to their often non-working wireless Internet service. In addition to his work, Jeff is an avid runner who is enjoying less crowded routes in the Ozarks.