At The Bristal communities, love stories don’t always arrive the way people expect, but they do occasionally move in right down the hall.
Recently, Myrna, 88, and Stan, 90, were featured in coverage by Newsday, with reporting by journalist Arlene Gross, highlighting their unexpected and deeply human story of connection and companionship at The Bristal at Jericho. We’re delighted for the thoughtful attention given to their experience, and we’re especially proud to share a closer look at Myrna and Stan from within our own community.
Myrna moved to The Bristal in 2021, initially alongside her longtime partner who needed more assistance than she could provide alone. Life shifted again when he left the community to be closer to his family and passed soon after, leaving Myrna to navigate a quieter chapter, one of adjustment, resilience, and rediscovery.
Stan arrived in June 2022, just two doors down the hall.
They met in a simple, everyday way that feels familiar to anyone who has ever lived in a close-knit community: an aide encouraging Myrna to go down the hall and say hello to “the nice man who just moved in.” From there, a friendship developed. Meals at the same table. Shared conversation. Hallways greetings became regular check-ins. Over time, something deeper began to take shape — without fanfare, without pressure, and without either of them looking for it.
“I met her the day I moved in,” Stan shared, reflecting on how quickly their lives began to overlap in meaningful ways.
Myrna remembers it with equal clarity. “He was very good company and I liked him. And then I fell in love with him.” Within six months, they had moved in together.
Today, their life together is grounded in the rhythm of community living — breakfast, lunch, and dinner shared in the dining room, afternoons spent in their own routines, and evenings side by side watching television or spending time with friends. Myrna enjoys her games of Rummikub and Bingo; Stan prefers the newspaper and a good nap.
What stands out most isn’t how they spend their days — it’s how they describe them.
Myrna speaks candidly about companionship, about not wanting to be alone, and about the comfort of having someone she trusts by her side. Stan, in his understated way, reflects the same sentiment: a quieter appreciation for a connection that developed naturally.
Their story, as highlighted by Newsday, echoes something we often see in The Bristal communities: relationships that aren’t defined by expectation, but by presence. By shared meals. By conversation. By simply showing up for each other.
While the headlines may frame it as a love story — and it is, to be sure — it is also something simpler and perhaps even more enduring: two people choosing compansionship in a season of life where it matters deeply.
At The Bristal, we are honored to witness moments like these unfold in everyday life.
P.C. Allejandra.Villa, [email protected]
