After becoming widowed, neither Jay Grooters nor Marianne Bednarz expected to find love while living on their senior living campus.
Both were independent living residents at Good Samaritan Society – Estes Park Village in Colorado. Jay had lost his wife in 2022. Marianne had lost her husband several years prior.
One day, Marianne happened to sit with Jay at lunch.
“We just hit it off. It was instant,” says Marianne.
“Neither of us were looking for any kind of relationship. But when lightning strikes, it strikes, and we started seeing each other and spending time together,” says Jay.
Health, retirement prompt changes
Jay and his wife, Fran, had run a motel for 40 years. They were long-time residents of Estes Park.
“Fran started falling, just unexplained falls. She was quite the hiker, hiked all the trails in the park, made maps, but they couldn’t figure it out,” says Jay.
Eventually, she was diagnosed with ALS.
“The people that handled our money said you need to sell that house and get over to Good Samaritan. Don’t try and take care of her at home. It took us about 15 minutes, and we said they’re right,” says Jay.
Fran and Jay lived in their twin home at Estes Park Village for about a year and a half before she died on May 22, 2022.
“I was sort of a lost soul,” says Jay.
Marianne and her husband spent some retirement years in Silverthorne, Colorado. When he was diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago, they changed plans and moved to Denver to be closer to health care. He died the following year and Marianne lived alone in Denver for another six years.
“I did some looking around and it dawned on me, ‘What about Estes Park?’” says Marianne.
Newfound love
After Jay met Marianne, he felt a spark of hope during his grieving process.
“The sun came out, the clouds went away and everything evened out,” says Jay.
Marianne invited Jay to a Fourth of July party.
“It got rained out, but we laugh and say the fireworks kept going with us. We just really like each other. Neither of us were looking for any kind of relationship. It was the last thing we had on our minds,” says Jay.
“We have fun together. We laugh a lot. We share a love of games and puzzles,” says Marianne.
The two got along so well that they decided to move in together at Estes Park Village.
“It’s just the perfect place for us. The size, the people, the atmosphere, and the community they create. It’s a great place to be,” says Jay.
“It’s been marvelous. I love it here. It was the best choice I could have made and my kids agree with me,” says Marianne.
