Mary and Donna Whitworth, 95 and 71, respectively, are mother and daughter — and roommates in retirement at Buckner Villas, Austin, TX, for the past three and a half years.
“You can tell their bond is irreplaceable, and it continues to grow each day in retirement,” said Janet Burnett, life enrichment coordinator at the retirement community. “We love seeing them together and hearing stories about their lives.”
Mary and Donna always have been close and frequently traveled together before and after retirement. When they both ended up in Austin, they found themselves volunteering, running errands and attending church together. They soon realized the next logical step would be to move into and share a residence at a senior living community.
“When we were looking for our new home, I knew we wanted a continuum of care community, and Buckner Villas provides that for us,” Donna Whitworth said. “We have loved our time here and plan to engage with more community programming together in the future.”
Mary Whitworth said that living with her daughter has been “very enjoyable and fulfilling.”
“We always got along well, so we knew living together years later wouldn’t be a problem,” she said. “I always joked that I would never live with my children again, but look at us now. I send her to her room sometimes, and she sends me to mine, but we are making the most out of the time we have together. It’s nice to live at a community that accommodates our unique living situation. We have both made many friends here and look forward to enjoying more years to come.”
Click here to see the In Focus archive and read how to submit your photos for consideration.
