Angie and Bruce Parker, who are celebrating their wedding anniversary today, June 4, have embarked on building their dream home.
"I don't know whether you want to call us adventurous, insane..." Parker says with a laugh. "One of the firsts that we're going to have in 36 years is we are building a home together."
Angie, a teacher for 28 years, and Bruce, who served in the Air National Guard for and is now finishing his career in the United States Army, are not new to home ownership; however, this is the first time they are building their homestead from the ground up.
The couple raised their two daughters, Sarah and Emily, in Effingham County. Due to the challenges of her husband's deployments -- 24 deployments in 24 years -- Parker says it was imperative for "home" to be the family unit.
"I just always made sure the girls and I knew our roles when dad was gone, what we needed to do, and just having home base," she says.
The Parkers relocated to Bulloch County in 2020 and purchased land with the help of AgSouth's Relationship Manager, Cassie Justen.
"What I love is she knows her stuff; she knows the products," Parker says of Justen, whom the couple met through their realtor's recommendation. "We just came in; she just put us at ease."
Justen effortlessly guided the Parkers through the process, found the best product for their needs, and empowered the couple to purchase the expansive 58-acre property.
Growing deer corn has been the initial crop the Parkers have cultivated, and they plan to plant pecan trees and blueberry bushes in the future. The Parkers' grandsons love exploring their grandparents' farm and are making memories that will last, which was one of the goals the couple had in mind when they bought the land.
"I think that's what farming gives to young people, these opportunities to actively learn and also to build that confidence," Angie muses.
The land has special meaning for the Parker family because of an adverse event that abruptly halted Bruce's idyllic early childhood.
"He was the youngest of seven. In Effingham county, his dad was not able to have the property. The land that he leased ended up being developed. Bruce was around 12 when it was sold out from under them," Parker explains. "But he had grown up, every kid had a horse, they had pigs, they had cows, they row-cropped the hay."
These deeply ingrained memories are what led Bruce to declare, Angie recalls, that he needed to return to farming and ultimately led to the purchase of the estate.
The Parkers remember and honor what their respective parents went through to raise them with a solid work ethic and a sense of responsibility and service.
"We're at that age where they call us in that 'sandwich' situation where we worked very hard," Parker explains. "We're committed to honoring our parents, helping them to age in place."
They lost Bruce's father, Albert Parker, a Korean War veteran who passed away in January of 2022 after leading "a life well lived" according to Angie. She expressed the desire to age in place just as she and her husband are enabling their parents to do.
After enjoying the property with their family for a few years, the couple decided it was time to fully relocate to Bulloch County and build their dream home. Because of their relationship, the couple approached Justen at AgSouth once again. Justen brought in her teammate Kelsey Johnson, Mortgage Originator, to work with the couple to secure a construction loan to build their home.
"A home construction is someone's largest investment that they typically make and to be a part of that and see the excitement and even work through it with them, it makes it worth what I do on my end," Justen explains. "It's a blessing to be able to say, 'I helped build that house.'"
Although there are a couple of construction loan options, Justen and Johnson recommended a construction product with a one-time closing as being the best fit for the Parkers.
"The difference we have found here [AgSouth]: they look at your story, what the goals are that you want to accomplish, and then they work with you to achieve that," Parker says.
The AgSouth staff have been much more than people who provide a service for the Parkers. They have gone above and beyond by showing up at the signing, providing support beyond business hours, and giving the couple personalized care.
"This is a side hustle for Bruce Parker, but we are still met with the same enthusiasm, we are treated with the same amount of respect," Angie says. "As we are navigating through what is going to be my husband's third act, and help us to have many years of marriage together because he's going to be on a tractor and not just up under my feet, it's just wonderful."
The property, which is centrally located to many amenities, allows the Parkers to enjoy Statesboro's thriving community, yet also allows for their privacy.
"We can quickly get to it or we can quietly get away from it," Parker says. "It's a wonderful piece of property."
The couple broke ground earlier in 2024 and are hopeful their home will be completed in November, so they can host Thanksgiving. They are looking forward to an active retirement and returning to a simple life of farming, laughter, and love.
For more information about AgSouth, please visit their website.
