Tom Gideon was living comfortably in Woodinville. It was a place filled with nice folks with good careers, big homes and fancy cars. He fit in, certainly, and was grateful for what he had.

Except something was missing.

He didn’t want his life to be just about “getting stuff.” He craved active community engagement. He wanted to focus on the kind of involvement that has a positive impact on peoples’ lives.

So Gideon and his wife Susan, having newly become empty nesters after their son Eric went off to college, made a big move — not so much in miles as in lifestyle. They settled on Whidbey Island in a home near Bayview and found the kind of social interaction they were craving.

“People on Whidbey volunteer for so many things, from watering the town’s landscaping to being an EMT,” Gideon said. “The community spirit here is just amazing.”

Gideon found his own way to make a difference in his new community. He volunteered for South Whidbey Hearts & Hammers, a non-profit group that brings neighbors together to help repair and rehabilitate homes of those who are physically or financially unable to do the work alone.

But he wanted to give back even more. Reading the local newspaper, he spotted an ad for volunteers for South Whidbey Fire/EMS. So in 2008, he enrolled in the fire academy and, soon after, became a volunteer fire fighter.

“Firefighting by its nature is risky, but the interaction with the community and the other volunteers is worth it,” Gideon said. “We are all members of a team, and we’ve got each other’s backs.”

Gideon says there’s a rare level of respect within the fire district’s ranks.

“My management theory was always that you take personal responsibility for your actions, and if a mistake is made, stand up and correct it — no playing the blame game, which is common in that industry,” he said. “I respect the leadership at South Whidbey Fire/EMS. It’s all about training and understanding what you need to do to serve the community.”

Gideon also enjoys working as the web development manager for ArtisanCrafted.com, a Langley-based online company that offers handcrafted glass and copper sinks, lighting and other designs for the home.

Aside from those careers, he is an amateur astronomer and has a small observatory and builds his own telescopes. He and his son, who has a degree in aerospace sciences from the University of North Dakota, are both licensed pilots and share a two-seat plane that he helped restore, including giving it 80 percent more horsepower. They take both local and long — distance flights together frequently.

Since their move to the island, Gideon’s wife has turned a large portion of the property around their home into a garden showcase, is involved with other local gardeners and volunteers weekly at the Langley Library.

“Whidbey is not only a nice place to live, it’s filled with nice folks,” Gideon said. “It’s a place where people are trying to do the right thing, and that’s why we like it here!”