Jack and Rose

"I hadn't laughed for years before I met Jack, " explains Rose. When she moved to JCHE's Coleman House, she had low expectations about what was ahead. A widow for 17 years, Rose had been in the workforce for years. "I was tired and ready to stop."

Jack who owned a cab in Boston for over 40 years, experienced the toughest adjustment of his life in 2004 when his wife died. Soon after, he moved to Coleman House so that he wouldn't be isolated. "Being lonesome is the most devastating thing," says Jack.

Rose crossed paths with Jack before they actually met. "It was so odd," she explains. "I was working at the Coleman front desk when Jack's daughter first came to look at the building. We started talking. I even showed her my apartment so that she could see the space. She was very enthusiastic about me meeting Jack. 'You're just going to love my dad,' she told me!"

After Jack moved in, the couple met when Rose's TV went on the blink. "I was looking for someone to help. I didn't' know Jack but he overheard me and offered to repair it." Jack was able to fix the TV, and in a short time, they felt as if they had known one another for 50 years. "We are just so comfortable together," says Rose when she describes their friendship. He enjoys her wonderful cooking. She was so grateful when he drove her to the emergency room one night. They love going to the movies together and eating jelly donuts. " Meeting Jack came as a wonderful surprise," says Rose. "At 89, I never imagined that I would find someone special. We feel very lucky to have found one another." Jack is quick to agree. "Rose is very precious to me."