This time of year always brings about stories of love and romance that will melt your heart. Our teams love hearing these stories from our residents and while they can sometimes be few and far between, we have many couples who move in together and continue to love and support one in sickness and health.
One of these delightful couples lives at Maplewood at Princeton. To celebrate the longevity of love for Valentine’s Day we wanted to tell you the story of Vicki and Marty Nathanson who live together at Maplewood at Princeton. When asked how long they have been together, Vicki replied, “My God, we’ve been together forever.” Both in their 90s, they have lived together in the community since 2022.
Vicki recalls the couple’s first date. “Marty smoked cigars back then. I hated it. I remember he went to the bathroom and by the time he came back I had poured my drink on his cigar. He wasn’t too happy.” She continued, “I went home that night and told my mom, ‘I’m going to marry that man’ and he went home and told his mom, ‘I met a nut.’” But he called her again and they are still in love and blessed with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Vicki enlightened us about her childhood. A Holocaust survivor, (although thankfully never went to a concentration camp) she was only seven years old when she bravely let a dentist pull out one of her healthy teeth so her younger brother wouldn’t be afraid of letting the dentist pull out a decayed tooth. She told us that she owned both a beauty and clothing shop. Her customers would wait in line for her to tailor their dresses and suits. In both of her businesses, she valued her workers and customers. Marty owned a cabinet manufacturing business.
Vicki recalled the time she went to meet Marty’s parents for the first time. His Dad asked her what she thought of the Yankees. Vicki answered, “Who are the Yankees?” She laughed, “His Dad didn’t talk to me for the rest of the evening.”
According to the associates at Princeton, Marty often sings love songs to Vicki. Throughout the day he called her ‘my love.’ When you ask Vicki what she likes about Marty she gets teary-eyed, “I can’t pick one thing. I don’t know, but he is the love of my life. I’m going to start crying now.”
Vicki shared, “I love everyone here, and they love me and Marty.” Yes, Vicki we sure do!
Vicki and Marty moved into Maplewood at Princeton in need of Memory Care support for Marty. Our approach to care has allowed the two of them to continue to love and support one another while letting us provide the care and support they need.
If you missed the blog post on our resident artists – Through the Eyes of a Seasoned Artist – click on the link to read it on our blog.
Find out about our evidence-based memory care in a community near you. To schedule a tour at any of our communities, please contact us.
Special thanks to Wanda Garrin, Lifestyle Director, and Jennifer Sternotti, Lifestyle Coordinator at Maplewood at Princeton for securing this interview and the accompanying photos for us.
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