At 88, Mary Kleinschmidt is living proof that age is truly just a number. A mother of four, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of six, Mary’s life has been defined by resilience, resourcefulness, and a great sense of humour. Now a resident at Cedar Crossing, she reflects on her journey with warmth, clarity, and unmistakable wit.
Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario to Italian parents, Mary left high school after two years and completed a year at business college. From there, she entered the workforce, taking jobs at a concrete company and later at a finance firm. “In the meantime, I got married,” she said, smiling. That marriage was to Klaus, a German man she met on a blind date. “It was very good,” she says of their life together. “We couldn’t afford any fancy travelling, so we raised the kids and enjoyed camping trips. We had a ball.”
Raising a family and Klaus’ untimely passing
Mary and Klaus had four children in five years — three boys and a girl — and settled in Hamilton. They scrimped and saved to buy a house, relying on Klaus’s salary while Mary’s earnings went toward the down payment. Tragically, Klaus passed away in a workplace accident in 1995, just one year before he was due to retire. “You can’t do anything about it,” she said of the accident. “But I’ve been doing pretty good on my own.”
Still, as time passed, the demands of maintaining her home became more than just a chore. “It was starting to become too much to stay there on my own and take care of the outside and inside,” she recalled. With her children living across the country — Montana, Nova Scotia, Jarvis and Belleville — Mary began to consider retirement living. “I wanted independence and to make my own choices,” she said. “And I found it.”
Mary toured several residences, but none felt right — until she walked into Cedar Crossing, which is near her daughter in Jarvis, southern Ontario. “I said, I’m not looking anywhere else. This is it,” she said. “Very homey. Very cozy. Very family. Makes you feel like it is a family home — not a retirement home.” Since moving in November 2023, just after having both knees replaced, Mary has embraced retirement living with the same spirit she’s brought to every chapter of her life. “I’m a lady of leisure,” she laughs. “I don’t have to shop. I don’t have to cook. And I don’t have to clean.” But that doesn’t mean she’s idle. Far from it.
Being a prankster and enjoying life at Cedar Crossing
Each morning begins with a three-kilometre walk alongside a friend she met shortly after moving in. “It takes anywhere from a half an hour to an hour, depending how fast we walk and how much we talk to people,” she said. After that comes an exercise class, lunch, and whatever activity catches her interest. “They’ve (Cedar Crossing) got so much variety of things going on that you can’t go through all of them,” she added.
The value of connection and advice for retirees
What Mary values most is the sense of connection — something she found lacking in other retirement homes she visited. “In the city, it’s concrete. Nothing to inspire you to be happy. Nobody looked at you. Nobody talked to you,” she said. “But here, the people laugh and talk to you. And then they start looking for you.”
For those unsure about making the move into retirement living, Mary has this advice: “Ask yourself what do you want? For you — not for anybody else.” She emphasizes the importance of choosing a place that fits your own personality and priorities. “If you like it where people will tell you, you got to do this or go there, that’s one way. Or, if you want your independence to make your own choices — that’s what I wanted. And I found it.”