09/29/2025
It’s a cozy afternoon in Vern’s Pub at Saint Luke’s Bishop Spencer Place, where residents Carol, 96, and Jean, 95, share laughter like the lifelong friends they are. Their bond began in 1932, when Jean attended Carol’s second birthday party. From there, childhood adventures turned into a friendship that would span nearly a century.
They spent summers at a Michigan camp, later followed their love of history to Vassar College, and even traveled abroad together—adventures they now look back on fondly.
After college, Carol married, asking Jean to be her maid of honor, while Jean became active in the Junior League. As they raised families, holiday gatherings and weekend visits kept them connected, and their children became friends, too.
In 2006, Carol moved to Bishop Spencer Place with her husband. To her delight, she soon discovered a familiar face right across the hall.
“It was a pleasure to see Jean again,” Carol said. “I moved into one of the apartments across the hall from her, so it’s just like we’re neighbors again after all the years.”
Reflecting on their many years together, Carol and Jean admit the secret to an enduring friendship is less about the time you spend together and more about the space you hold for each other.
“We never drifted apart,” Carol says. “When Jean moved in, it was like we were kids again. We played bridge together, our husbands were in the investment club together, and we had dinner together. It just felt like old times.”
Read more about Carol and Jean’s lifelong friendship: https://heyor.ca/fDw1jx
