How one Hamilton, Ohio, retiree experienced an instant welcome, comforting reassurance and a sense of belonging at Berkeley Square Independent Living.
Mary Lee Johns didn’t expect to make a best friend on the same day she moved in, but that’s exactly what happened when she arrived at Berkeley Square Independent Living in Hamilton, Ohio. In the video above, she shares her account of that first evening and what life at Berkeley Square has been like right from the start.
A Warm Welcome
After losing her husband and finding it harder to keep up with her home alone, Mary Lee knew the time had come for a change. Her daughter-in-law encouraged her to begin looking around. “Well, I didn’t have to look around because I knew where I wanted to be,” Mary Lee recalls with a smile.
On the same day as moving into her new home, she and her daughter-in-law attended a dinner for women of the community. They didn’t know anyone in the room, so they sat down at an open table and introduced themselves. The woman across the table asked where Mary Lee would be living. When Mary Lee gave her address, the woman laughed: “Oh, you’re going to be my next-door neighbor.” That woman was Helen, a Berkeley Square resident of nearly 15 years. Within her first few hours there, Mary Lee already had found the neighbor who’d become her best friend.
Instant Friendships
“There are fast friendships here because of shared experience,” explains Katie Crank, Sales Director of Berkeley Square Independent Living. “People identify with leaving your home of many years and moving here for all the same reasons.” Katie adds that residents take real pride in their homes and hardly can contain their excitement when they learn a new neighbor is moving in.
When asked what she considers the best part of living at Berkeley Square, Mary Lee sums it up simply: “Getting to know so many wonderful people. It’s a community right here, behind these little brick walls. I’m very glad I’m here.”
Find Your Friends at Berkeley Square
Mary Lee’s story is just one of many at Berkeley Square, but it captures something residents describe again and again: a warm welcome, cherished friendships and the freedom to spend time enjoying what matters most. Schedule your own personal tour online or by calling 513-896-8080.
Published: September 8, 2026
