Kendal at Oberlin is home to more than 300 people in their 60s and well beyond. They come from near (Oberlin and Cleveland) and far (Hawaii, Canada and elsewhere). The residents share many common values, such as sustainability and lifelong learning, and many have ties to Oberlin College. But each resident has his or her own unique story.
When Joe Luciano moved to Kendal at Oberlin a year after it opened, he was still working as a pediatrician in Oberlin. As residents Joe and his wife Dorothy were on the youngish side, but Dorothy had been involved in helping to create the retirement community and the opportunity to move came early.
Fast forward 31 years and you can say Joe and his wife Dorothy are “aging in place” - the place being Kendal.
“Kendal – it’s been a great life,” Joe says.
Joe has packed a lot of experiences into his long tenure at Kendal.
He was president of the Kendal at Oberlin Residents Association for two years, active in the Wood Shop, where he often helped build projects for the community, led a water aerobics class for Oberlin residents and often showed new residents around Oberlin, a city the couple moved to in 1974. And of course, over the years he has been involved with many committees.
“Yes, Kendal has changed over the years but it’s still home to a group of people extremely friendly and wanting to take care of each other,” he says. “And Barbara Thomas was our leader for 30 some years and led us very well and let us grow.”
In January 2024 Barbara retired and Seth Vilensky was named Chief Executive Officer. “I think we picked a really good person,” Joe says.
At 92, Joe has slowed down some, but the good thing about living at Kendal, he says, “is we have a lot to do here - music every Sunday, movies, exercises” and the list goes on.
Speaking of exercise, Joe now leads a Saturday exercise class using assorted DVDs. “Speed, that’s what I stress, getting the heart going,” he says. He attends several exercise classes a week and serves as a pool monitor.
His other fondness is making model airplanes, mostly World War II vintage, and can often be found in the Craft Room working on a project. “As a kid I always wanted to do models but it just didn't seem to happen. I started making models during Covid, and it saved my life,” he says. He estimates he has about 50 planes on display in their cottage.
He also enjoys reading, especially murder mysteries and Civil War books.
The days of walking into town are over, so now the couple drives to town for occasional dinner at Aladdins, Lorenzo's Pizzeria, the Feve and other local eateries.
Dorothy is a volunteer at the Oberlin Public Library and “guess who gets to help?” Joe chuckles. “Our current project is inventorying the library’s maybe 5,000 DVDs collection, making sure they're in alphabetical order, and cleaning the shelves,” he says.
Being longtime residents at Kendal means that over the years the couple has developed many close friendships with neighbors and others. Also, Kendal is home to two of Dorothy’s sisters - Charlotte Elsner and Helene Aarons. (Dorothy’s mother Helen Schwimmer moved to Kendal the week it opened and lived there 14 years.)
No complaints, Joe says: “I’ve had a great life.”