The Kenney filled the bill, and “it felt like home,” she says. Ray, who has Parkinson’s disease, receives the skilled nursing care he requires in The Kenney’s health center, while Joan has the freedom and peace of mind to live an active, fulfilling life in the independent living residences. Best of all, the couple can be together. Most every day, they have breakfast and a pre-dinner cocktail together.

Without the heavy burdens of homeownership and caregiving, Joan can pursue her interests, which include art, needlepoint, reading and entertaining family. They reserve The Kenney’s community rooms for gatherings.

Among the many advantages to life at The Kenney are “the never agains,” she says. “I never again have to mow the lawn, or fix anything, or get on a ladder.”

At the same time, she’s finds plenty of fun things to do… like paint fish. She and fellow resident Alma Penberthy created “Kinetic Aquarium,” a colorful array of paper fish and sea life that hangs in the central stairwell of the main building and a favorite in the monthly West Seattle Art Walk. More fish will be arriving soon.

“It’s a work in progress,” Joan says.

“Not only is the care she receives of the highest quality, it’s as vigilant as it is loving,” she states. “If something is going on, we get a call.”

Karen and her husband, Bob, are so appreciative of The Kenney that they’ve become monthly donors. In 2009, Karen joined the Foundation Board, which manages the donations and gifts that make it possible for us to support residents in need, including those who have depleted their finances or require emergency help.

Karen knows a thing or two about good stewardship. As the executive director for Community Health Charities of Washington and Idaho, she helps ensure the organization’s member charities meet rigorous accountability standards. She expects no less of The Kenney Foundation.

“I’m confident that our contribution to the Foundation is going to be used in the best possible way,” she says. “I’m also aware that more and more older adults are outliving their resources. Should that happen in our case, my mother would still have a home. That reassurance is really important.”

Like her parents, Karen is also looking ahead to her own future, adding, “I want The Kenney to be here when I need it.”

Sharing Sunday mornings with another church proved problematic because the ideal late morning worship times preferred by Calvary Lutheran’s older members were already spoken for. That’s when Rev. Winterstein turned to The Kenney.

As a visiting pastor here for some two decades, he already was familiar with the people who lived here and the lovely little chapel in the Sunrise wing. Not only could Calvary Lutheran’s congregation have a new place to worship, but so could residents of The Kenney who did not already have their own church home.

Each Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the chapel is filled with 30 or so Calvary Lutheran members joined by a few residents of The Kenney. Rev. Winterstein says the relationship benefits the church, The Kenney and the entire community.

“It says a lot about The Kenney’s willingness to live their not-for-profit mission,” he says.

To show their appreciation, the congregation sponsors an annual reception for Kenney residents, contributes to The Kenney Foundation and even bought a sound system for Sunday services that The Kenney can use any other time of the week.

The relationship between The Kenney and Calvary Lutheran Church? It is, as they say, a marriage made in heaven.

He likes the homey atmosphere of The Kenney: the charming old buildings, the park-like grounds, the exercise room (which he resolves to use more often) and the staff. He’s particularly appreciative of an “IT guy” who helps him with computer issues.

He also likes his neighbors. On his way to his apartment, he runs into Bob. They chat about upcoming events and exchange jocular barbs before continuing on their separate ways. Stan apologizes to his guests for the delay.

“I can’t pass anyone without saying, ‘hello’,” he says.

Then, in June 2009, Helen fell and broke her shoulder. She spent nearly four months in The Kenney’s Nursing and Rehab Center.

“The therapy department here is wonderful”” she says. “They worked with me to get me to walk again.”

Helen is now out of the Rehab Center and in an assisted living apartment, where she receives help with dressing and showering, taking her medications and other daily tasks

“The staff is very caring and helps you be as active and independent as you can be,” says Helen, who still enjoys playing pinochle with a group she started in Ballymena.

“It’s kind of a spoiled life, really,” she says with a smile.

Even so, Joan wasn’t sure she was ready when The Kenney called with an apartment opening four years later. She “turned it over every which way” and ended up with many more pros than cons.

While she sometimes misses her house, she doesn’t miss the endless chores and responsibilities of homeownership. Now, if something breaks down in her Ballymena apartment, she just calls maintenance staff and they fix it.

“My life is very easy,” says Joan, who still works four days a week and serves on The Kenney Board of Directors. “I have free time. I can think about travel. And when I retire, I have a community waiting for me here.”