Patricia ‘Pat’ Pelot happy to find her new home

New resident Patricia “Pat” Pelot had to delay her move by five days when she moved to Aberdeen Village. Her furniture, however, arrived right on schedule.

“I’ve been here since July 15, 2020, and my furniture has been here since the 10th of July,” Pat said. “I was supposed to move in at the same time, but due to COVID, I couldn’t do that. So I had a little vacation at my nephew and niece’s home in Perry.”

Aside from the unexpected vacation, the move to Aberdeen Village has been smooth, Pat said, and she’s come to feel comfortable in her new home.

“These people are just like family,” she said. “I feel very much at home. The people here are family — joyful people wanting to help each other. I feel at home.”

Pat’s recent move was her first in nearly 60 years.

“I was married in 1955, and my husband and I moved to Kansas City,” she said. “We lived in an apartment, then built a little home on Hays Street. In 1959, we moved into our new home and we lived there until he passed in 1994. Then I lived there until July 10, 2020. Most people don’t stay quite for that long. I had a good relationship with the neighbors. It was a great spot to be.”

Throughout those years, her husband Edward worked as an electrical engineer and Pat worked as a surgical nurse for three different surgeons. She enjoyed the work — and her co-workers — so much that she kept working part time after her retirement.

“I love working with patients and people,” Pat said.

She’s found a number of satisfying ways to keep busy at Aberdeen Village.

“I enjoy sewing, working with people, playing cards, reading, doing a big puzzle,” Pat said. “I just enjoy many things. Eating is one of those things. Being here at Aberdeen Village, eating is something you don’t want to miss. But it also adds pounds to the body. I accept it, but I’m going to have to quiet that down.”

Though formal activities largely have been sidelined during the pandemic, Pat said she’s already thinking about what she’ll do once restrictions are scaled back or lifted.

“When we get COVID resolved, one of the first classes I want to take is art,” she said. “I like art very, very much. I like doing things like that. I’m amazed when I sit down to doodle when something comes out of it — and I wonder if maybe that would work out if I took an art class.”

She’s currently enjoying the opportunity to walk outdoor and experience some of the happenings on the grounds.

“I walk every morning. I love exercise. I love swimming,” Pat said. “I just keep getting older and older, so now I go out with my walker. I find entertainment. There are about four different companies doing work. One is putting in new decks, another is doing heating and cooling and another is working on electrical. It’s very interesting. That’s what I see, besides fresh air and nice weather.”

Pat was raised in Wathena, Kan., a small town about 5 miles west of St. Joseph, Mo. Growing up on a large farm outside of town, Pat said she learned how to keep herself entertained.

“We would go to old fashioned outdoor movies when they came to town,” Pat said. “Or we’d visit friends. We were Catholics, so church was a lot of activity. I loved to sew, and I would sew my own dresses. I had the ability to make dresses without a pattern. That was a gift. I had so much fun doing that.”

That experience helped her pass the time during her required 14-day quarantine upon moving to Aberdeen Village.

“I didn’t mind it,” Pat said. “I had just sold my house, and there’s a lot to take care of for a house you’ve been in that long, lots of decisions to make. All of that was a little bit of a strain. I was glad to sit down and not have any activities for a while.”

Join us all in extending a warm Aberdeen Village welcome to Pat!

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