Photography by Danny Fulgencio.

 Dorothy Ferguson just moved furnishings from her 4,000-square-foot Lake Highlands home to a two-bedroom leased Preston Tower unit in March. Her husband, Larry, died May 17 after she nursed him at home for eight years. The couple was married for nearly 59 years and had three children.

Ferguson and her daughter toured senior centers, but she didn’t feel at home. “I walked in here and fell in love with the high ceilings and all the glass.” She was apprehensive about venturing out on her high-rise balcony, but outdoor furniture and plants soon lured her. “I get out there and water the plants, and it doesn’t bother me at all now.”

She enjoys the fact that she doesn’t have to walk far to get to her car. She also likes the trash service and the mail drop. When she needed help moving a file cabinet, someone on the tower staff volunteered to help.

She describes how she made a sitting room out of the dining room and moved chairs from her Lake Highlands den to the new space. Polish crystal and Oriental rugs complete the décor along with a chair from her husband’s grandmother and china from her wedding. 

The home is big enough for her children and grandchildren to visit. The alcove is sunny. She continues starting the day with her crossword puzzles. Work on her self-employed business follows. Sundays are for church, and life goes on.