Want to know the secret for long life? According to Eleanor “Ellie” Kennedy, a resident at The Inn at Greenwood Village, there’s no secret – it’s just a matter of staying busy.
“I don’t get out much, but I just love doing the activities they offer here at The Inn,” said Ellie, who turns 105 on October 29th. “I take advantage of most of them.”
In addition to enjoying The Inn’s Mind+Body Wellness program that keeps residents active and engaged through social, cultural, educational, and wellness activities, Ellie is a voracious reader and avid sports fan. She enjoys watching NASCAR, baseball, hockey, and her favorite football team – the Broncos.
This Friday, October 29th at 3:00 pm, The Inn at Greenwood Village will honor Ellie’s long life and active mindset with her community neighbors, friends, and family. Ellie takes the cake as the eldest resident in the assisted living community but is among good company. While the average age of residents at The Inn is 80 years old, four other residents are also centenarians.
Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Ellie and her husband, Tom who was an army veteran, settled in Denver after WWII. There, they had three children and pursued careers in the medical field. Tom was a radiologist and Ellie, a licensed psychiatrist and neurologist, taught classes and worked for the University of Denver’s Student Health Services Department until she retired at 65 years old. She spent her early retirement years with family and pursuing another love – organic gardening.
“She was doing organic gardening well before it was in fashion,” said Mark Kennedy, Ellie’s son. “Our family home is surrounded by indigenous grass, shrubs, and trees with lots of bird feeders. Mom loves to watch the birds.”
According to Mark, his father’s wish was to live out his life in the home they moved into in 1963 – and he did. After 71 years of marriage, Tom passed in October 2013. Ellie continued to live in their home, but in 2017 at the age of 101, she didn’t want to risk falling and decided to move to The Inn at Greenwood Village.
“Mom and dad were products of the depression. They were very frugal and fixed what was broken before buying new,” said Mark. “When we ask mom what she’d like for her birthday, she usually says a card, but I think being acknowledged like this will mean a lot to her.”
The Inn at Greenwood Village is an MBK Senior Living community, an award-winning leader and innovator in senior housing with a shared mission to nurture a culture of genuine care. MBK operates 32 communities throughout the Western United States and has a well-earned reputation as a trusted resource for seniors and their families seeking various care options and maintenance-free living. The company is certified as a Great Place to Work© by the Great Place to Work Institute and has ranked in the top 20 “Best Workplaces for Aging Services” by Fortune magazine for the last two years. For more information about The Inn at Greenwood Village or MBK Senior Living, visit our website at www.MBKSeniorLiving.com
