Wish Stories

78 year-old Lynn is a resident of Brookdale Vista Grande in Colorado Springs, but she is a New Yorker at heart. Her Wish of a Lifetime was to return to New York City, where she hasn’t been in over 25 years. Lynn had to leave New York City on short notice when her...

Leron and Betty met over sixty years ago and have shared two loves for the last six decades—each other (they've had a very happy marriage of 59 years) and the FSU Seminoles. Betty and Leron worked at blue collar jobs for their entire careers, Leron as a telephone line...

Harvey is a 101-year-old man who has lived in Wisconsin for the majority of his life. He spent most of his life working in factories and raising his children. However, despite his busy schedule, he always made time to cheer on his Packers. In fact, Harvey was a...

Marie, 94, from Brookdale Bethany, has a passion for basketball. She grew up on a farm in Chester, Oklahoma, where she went to grade school for eight years in a small schoolhouse with one room. Marie was the only one of five siblings to continue on to high school....

Helen, 80, of Brookdale Gaines Ranch, has a passion for motorcycles. She was 16 or 17 the first time she rode with her brother. It's been many years, but Helen has never forgotten the feeling of immense freedom of that first ride. Helen was a self-described tomboy and...

Ruth, 86, of Longwood, Florida, is a lifetime teacher who has always described herself as a ‘people person.’ Ruth spent 30 years teaching elementary school and was very involved in her religious community. Although Ruth happily reflects on her life as ‘full of...

Troy, 69 of Oxford, Mississippi, is very involved at his church as a pastor and musician. Since he was 20 years old, Troy has been playing the guitar and has been a part of three gospel groups. His Wish of a Lifetime was to attend the Lee Williams and the Spiritual...

Mary, 89, of Brookdale El Camino in Pueblo, Colorado, was born in Texas and raised in New Mexico. She grew up with her two sisters on a farm with no electricity or running water. Recalling having to milk 30-40 cows a day and haul water from natural springs in addition...

Steve, 88, from Brookdale Merrillville in Merrillville, Indiana, has a love for golf. After playing golf for 60 years, Steve considers the sport his first love. “Steve loves everything about golf—being outside, hunting for lost balls, improving his swing, and enjoying...

Joe, 97, and Gary, 71, are very good friends who have strong ties with the Denver Broncos. Both lived in Denver when the Broncos first started in the 1960s and have been avid fans ever since. Joe and Garys' Wish of a Lifetime was to attend a Denver Broncos game once...

Frances, 79, is a life-long resident of Colorado and a committed Broncos fan of 55 years. Frances was raised in Colorado and met her husband in the state. The two raised three children together until Mr. Winn passed away when the children were young. After her husband...

Sue, 73, from Brookdale Horizon Bay at Hyde Park in Tampa, Florida, is a dedicated grandmother. She was very close with her own grandmother, who lived across the street from her elementary school, when she was young, and the two would eat lunch together every day. Sue...

Carroll, 88, from Brookdale Longmont in Longmont, Colorado, has always loved trains. As a child, Carroll and his dad would build model trains with elaborate mountain scenery. As an adult, Carroll worked with trains for about 70 years. He worked for General Motor...

Daniel, 103, first visited his daughter’s vineyard—then just a hayfield in Napa Valley—around 45 years ago. Since then, he and his late wife drove down from Seattle every year to visit the land, play golf, drink wine and enjoy the company of family in the area. They...

Nothing makes Lavinia, 78, of Statesboro, Tennessee, feel more at peace than a breathtaking mountain landscape. The Great Smoky Mountain Range, visible from Gatlinburg, Tennessee—a place Lavinia and her family visited annually throughout her youth—is the one place she...