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After decades of work and activity, Dave Gorenflo isn’t about to slow down.
“After visiting Yellowstone National Park as a teen,” recalled Gorenflo, “I thought I would like to be one of the rangers that gave the interpretive talks at the sites like Old Faithful. I also liked to do the announcing from the press box for little league games at Lincoln Park, pretending I was Dizzy Dean. Although I never dreamed of being in the travel business, many experiences along my career path have prepared me well for this new chapter in my life.”
Today, Gorenflo and his wife, Susan, run Carefree Wanderer.
“Carefree Wanderer was started in 2018 because we realized people were eager to travel and were willing to pay for the organization and preparation I could provide,” he said. “As I was anticipating retirement from education, I was looking for my next career, and this seemed like a natural fit.”
Gorenflo, 71, grew up in Marion, graduated from Marion Harding High School in 1969, attended Ohio State Marion from 1969 to 1971 and graduated from Ohio State with a B.S. in social studies education in 1973, then completed a master’s in secondary administration from Ohio State in 1979.
“My passion for history and sports led me to pursue a career in teaching and coaching,” he said. “I taught social studies for 17 years and coached football, baseball and basketball in the Elgin school system. I transitioned to administration with four years as an AD, before concluding my public education experience with 14 years as the principal of River Valley High School.”
“From 2010-2022 I was the tech prep consultant at Marion Technical College,” Gorenflo added, “working with career centers throughout central Ohio. During all this time, I also officiated basketball, umpired baseball and softball, and broadcast high school basketball and football on radio and TV. I was the play-by-play announcer for TV 22 in Marion for 10 years, and I’m still umpiring, and last fall did play-by-play for high school football on WVXG in Mt. Gilead.”
During many of those years, he added, he also “attended professional conferences all over the country and did reconnaissance for potential trips.”
It was groundwork for the formation of Carefree Wanderer.
“I worked with Dave for several years at River Valley before we both retired,” recalled Lynne Conway, now a real estate agent with Generations Realty. “Dave was a great principal with a great sense of humor. My husband and I started traveling with Dave’s Carefree Wanderer’s gang about four years ago. What a wonderful experience Dave and Susan provide, and it is truly ‘carefree.’”
“This business is a great fit for Dave,” added his wife, Susan Gorenflo. “He loves the organizational side of it and spends hours researching each location to find the most interesting and often historical sites, looking for tidbits the average person wouldn’t come across. But the most enjoyable part is sharing those places and interesting tidbits with the people who travel with us. We’ve made many friends and have enjoyed seeing other friendships form on each trip.”
“It is a perfect fit for me,” Gorenflo responded. “I love to travel and thoroughly enjoy the preparation, organization and research that are inherent to putting a trip together. I consider myself a life-long learner and appreciate the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others.”
For more information about Carefree Wanderer, log on carefreewanderer.com.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at news@marionstar.com.
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