“I am comfortable here. Everything I could possibly want is here.”  

Donna Tunis
St. Luke Apartments

For Donna Tunis, home has always meant more than a building. It means the people she loves, the memories she carries and, most of all, the life she shared with her husband of nearly 50 years.

Donna has lived at St. Luke’s Apartments in Oswego for six years. She moved there after her husband passed away, when maintaining the house they had shared was no longer something she could manage on her own.

“I loved him still when he died,” Donna says. “And never had a fight with him.”

Before moving to St. Luke’s, Donna enjoyed her home, her deck and the life she had built with her family. But after losing her eyesight and experiencing back problems, maintaining the house became increasingly difficult. She knew she needed a different kind of home, one that would allow her to live independently while having support available when she needed it.

Donna researched senior housing throughout the area, visiting every community she could find. While she found good things in many of the places she visited, St. Luke’s stood out.

“I want clean and friendly people, and that’s what turned me,” she says.

She also knew a few people who already lived at St. Luke’s, including friends of her sister. Their positive experiences helped reassure her that she had found the right place.

Six years later, Donna continues to value her decision.

Living independently is incredibly important to her. Even as her vision and mobility have changed, Donna remains determined to do as much as she can for herself. If she can do something, she does it. When she needs help, she asks for it.

“I managed to be independent,” she says. “And if I can do it, I’ll do it. If I need help, I’ll ask for it.”

That independence is supported by a community that looks out for her. Donna participates in bingo, where other residents help her with her cards, and she enjoys the social gatherings at St. Luke’s. She appreciates the maintenance staff and others who step in when she needs assistance. Sometimes that means bringing food to her or helping her accomplish something that has become difficult because of her eyesight.

She is especially grateful for the people who help connect her with resources outside the building. When Donna needed additional support, Christopher Community staff helped connect her with organizations that could assist with equipment and resources related to mobility and her vision.

For Donna, that support is like a chain. One person helps connect her to the next resource, making it easier for her to continue living the life she wants.

But while St. Luke’s has become a comfortable place to live, Donna is candid that it does not replace the home she shared with her husband.

“I don't think anything will ever feel like home,” she says. “I miss my husband too much.”

She still wears her wedding ring and considers herself married to him. Her faith, memories and love for her husband continue to give her strength.

Today, Donna's goal is simple: to live as comfortably and independently as she can for as long as she can. She remains grateful for the love and support she has received throughout her life, including the opportunity to travel, experience new places and create memories she treasures.

She also has some advice for anyone considering senior housing: stay independent, take the time to figure things out for yourself and choose carefully who you surround yourself with.

After six years at St. Luke’s, Donna has found a place where she can do exactly that. She has her own apartment, a supportive community around her and the freedom to live life on her terms.

For Donna, that is what affordable housing makes possible: not giving up independence, but preserving it.