“I’ve been blessed. The good Lord gave me my wife for 65 years. We did a lot of stuff together. I’m sure everybody feels the same way…we did a lot of things together. She took all of the art classes that Henry Ford Community College had to offer. She took all of the quantity foods that they had to offer. So we had a good life together. As a result of that, we got a good family. That family is very tight. I have two daughters, five grandchildren…It means that I truly was blessed. To me, that’s one of the most important things to have, strong family ties. The reason we have here I would say was because of the friendliness of both the staff and the residents where the staff seems to know you by first name basis, the residents as well, and both of the groups have been very friendly to me and I really appreciate it. You feel like you’re at home.” 

“My favorite thing to do is drink wine, my favorite item is my wallet because i got a lot of important things besides money. Credit cards, pictures of my grandkids, my mom and dad, my husband, how much more do you want? I like to talk and I really enjoy people. I’m a people person. If you don’t like me, it’s too sad. I don’t need to say that, no no. Scratch it all up…I might say behind your back, but not in front of them. You have to respect everybody. Sometimes you don’t like them, but you still have to say, ‘Oh, how are you?’ When I went to Rome, Italy, my favorite thing was when I went up to Colosseum and I’ll never forget that my husband didn’t go but I did and I take my granddaughter with me…I like Sinatra, the boy who sings. You know, don’t ask me anymore. That’s it. (singing) I’m going to sit right down and write myself a letter and make believe it came from you. I’m gonna write the words so sweet, they’re gonna knock me off my feet.”

“My favorite thing to do here is group therapy. I wind down, wind-down is where you’re grabbing your goblet full of win and you open your mouth, you throw it in. If my wife was alive, my wife is Delores, she most assuredly would be my favorite person because we were married for 60 years. Not all the time because it wasn’t my time with Delors. We raised four children, three boys and a daughter. Delores was an orphan when I met her. She had an older brother and an older sister. Her mother died by the time I met her. When she finally told me about it, I said, ‘Delores, I’m gonna take care of you the rest of your life,’ and I did. And I guess what…I took her around the world. We started off in Alaska then we jumped over to Japan and India…I love to tell these stories, I consider it of your well-being mentally and physically that it’s very important.”

“I love it here because I’m an artist and my art is hanging around my living space. I have one bedroom and a den, and I’ve made the den into my studio. My husband was so wonderful and always brought me a heart-shaped box of candy and usually a little trinket to hang around my neck which I didn’t object to at all. I miss him, but he had to go and was hurting, and 93 years is a good life. I raised four children and my prayer for my children was that they make the world a better place having been here, and they did that and I'm very proud of them and they take very good care of me. They mother me now. What love means to me is, of course it comes first from God. The showing of love at a place like Samaritas with people who probably would be alone in their life are able to share things with each other and do good for each other and it’s just a good life.”