They’re in a gorgeous new apartment in an elegant building with outstanding amenities: multiple dining venues, an indoor pool and fitness center, a salon and spa, a Starbucks, a game room, a library, and more.
“But I’ve decided, more than anything else, it’s about friends,” said Jerry Zielinski.
Old and new friends.
Jerry and his wife Lin are enthusiastic ambassadors for Oak Trace senior living community in Downers Grove. The Zielinskis are among the first residents in the recently completed luxury independent living apartments. The new building, which is the culmination of a $112 million multi-phase expansion and renovation project, opened its doors to new residents in March.
Aware and appreciative of how special Oak Trace is, the Zielinskis have invited longtime friends to check out the senior living community. The couple also have friends who were already living there.
What’s been especially important is making new friendships. A special example is the new relationship with fellow resident Jim Loos. “He has helped us make our apartment become more and more our home,” said Jerry.
One night, after they met Jim, Lin mentioned a picture they brought from their home to exhibit in their apartment. The picture, Lin said, was important to them. “We planned on hanging it over the counters in the kitchen. It would define the space.” When trying to do so however they realized that the picture was a little too big to hang and would prevent them from opening adjacent cabinets. “We were going to donate it to a local charity. The next day Jim told us he’d been thinking about it all night and was sure he could make the picture fit,” Jerry said. “He thought we could trim half an inch from the top of the frame to make it work. So, Jim got cleared to use the woodshop and off we went. We successfully trimmed the picture, hung it where we’d envisioned it going and it looks great. And it’s all because a new friend helped us out. We’re enjoying meeting people and forming new friendships.”
