Residents find love again and wed.
Jim Levy has surprise Valentine's Day plans for his new bride, Mary. But, it will be hard to top the surprise that came with lunch at her apartment one day last year at Sedgebrook, a senior living community in Lincolnshire. Along with Wendy's hamburgers was a beautiful diamond engagement ring. Said Jim, a widower and also a resident of Sedgebrook, "I was going to marry her one way or another." Mary, a widow, said meeting Jim was "magic."
Spotting her looking sad one day last April, Jim approached Mary to see if she'd like to talk. He'd lost his wife, she'd lost her husband, and the man Mary was seeing at the time was declining quickly with Alzheimer's disease. The two talked for hours that day, and Jim asked Mary to call him some time. "I don't call men; it's not my policy," said Mary, but she was nevertheless drawn to his attentiveness and capacity to listen. When Jim called again, the two talked like teenagers day after day, well into the wee hours. According to Jim, "I told her I'd marry her in four years…two years…then I thought, 'No, I want to marry her now!'"
"He pursued me pretty hard," agreed Mary. On September 19, 2015, the two wed at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Deerfield. "Jim is Jewish, but I wanted to keep my Catholic faith." "I told her, whatever you want; I just want to spend the rest of my life with you," said Jim. At the wedding were Jim's children and grandchildren, some fellow Sedgebrook residents, and a friend of Mary's since the second grade. "Everyone was thrilled for us," said Jim, who is looking forward to meeting Mary's family in Arizona.
When Jim had a heart attack three days into their honeymoon at Lake Delavan, Wisconsin, Mary was at his side every moment of the four days he was in the hospital. "She took such good care of me," said Jim, who has fully recovered and feels "terrific." "He owes me a second honeymoon!" quipped Mary.
The ease of conversation between the two is unmistakable. "We still talk all the time, and we're still settling in and getting to know one another," said Jim, who moved into Mary's apartment when they married, his third residence at Sedgebrook since he and his first wife moved from their home in Highland Park. "Our first apartment here was huge, way too big for me alone," said Jim, who downsized to a two-bedroom after his wife died. "You can't get me out of here; I love this place too much!" Former president of the Resident Advisory Council and the Squires Club, Jim became very active at Sedgebrook when his former wife entered a skilled care community.
Mary, who has lived at Sedgebrook for ten years, has also taken advantage of the many opportunities the community has to offer. "It's so friendly and engaging here; it would be hard not to find connections." What neither she nor Jim ever expected to find was love the second time around. "But," said Jim, "I met Mary, I love her, and I don't want to live without her. She's made my life complete."
"I second that," said his bride. "We just knew."
Sedgebrook is a Life Plan Community offering a diverse lifestyle, maintenance-free living and outstanding amenities. Five-star rated Radford Green Health Care and Rehabilitation is located on the 92-acre Sedgebrook campus in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Sedgebrook is a Senior Care Development, LLC affiliated community and managed by Life Care Services LLC. For additional information visit www.WelcomeToSedgebrook.com or call 847-901-3319.