Photo Essay: Life at the Leopold
A look into some of the lives affected by the Leopold’s closure. Read the full story on the Leopold here.
By Hailey Hoffman
KAYE AND MOLLIE FAULKNER
Kaye and Mollie lived at the Leopold for five years where they enjoyed their days socializing in the lobby or writing anecdotal pieces about their lives with other residents in Kaye’s weekly writing club.
After the announcement of the closure, Mollie described the Leopold as a place “like hell.”
“It’s more than what makes you angry. It’s sort of despair that people could be so indifferent to others’ feelings,” Kaye said.
With the help of their three kids, they were able to secure a new place for themselves and their dog Mariah at Affinity at Bellingham off of Meridian Street.
“When you’re 88 years old it’s just a hell of a lot of work. We are both exhausted and we really haven’t done so much,” Kaye said. “Most of the work was done by other people, but it’s the emotional test that you’re put through.”
STEPHANE LIGTELYN, 82
Stephane moved to the Leopold two years ago, loving the community of the Leopold and the ability to live in the heart of the city.
“I just loved the beauty of taking the elevator, crossing the lobby, taking two steps outside, and I’m in town. I’m a citizen of this community. It was glorious.”
The hardest part of the closure for him was coming to terms with the scattering of his friends in Leopold community across Bellingham and down into Mount Vernon.
He moved to Affinity at Bellingham on Jan. 15, 2019 and hopes it will be his final home.
SUE SCHELINSKI, 75
Sue Schelinski moved to the Leopold with her husband from Hawaii two years ago. Her husband had suffered a stroke and needed constant assistance from Sue. She looked at options and decided to return to Washington and live in the Leopold because they offered elderly support services.
“My husband couldn’t eat by himself,” Sue said. “Having someone prepare meals was almost a necessity.”
Sue and her husband grew up in Bellingham. As a child, she remembers hanging out in the Leopold, drinking Shirley Temples and perusing the toy store in the basement.
“It was like going home,” Sue said.
After the announcement, Sue moved to Affinity at Bellingham. It cost her over $1,000 to make the move from her beloved home.
NANCY HIRSCH, 85
Nancy described the announcement of the closure as detrimental to the residents of the Leopold. Many became lost and fell into despair, she said.
“To see the torment that people went through. People got so upset,” Nancy said. “They got angry. They got sad. They got confused. Some even cried.”
At the announcement of the closure, Nancy was recovering from a heart attack earlier in December. She said she slept 20 hours a day and did not have the energy to do what was necessary to find housing in December and January.
Once she was well, Nancy had to navigate various financial decisions to determine what she could afford and how she would make ends meet.
With the financial help of her four grown children, Nancy moved out of the Leopold to the Willows, an assisted living facility in Bellingham, on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019
DOLORES KOZERA
Dolores moved into the Leopold after months of living in the hospital, recovering from an infection in her foot that almost required amputation.
The Leopold offered her temporary housing in a windowless room in the basement.
After the announcement of the closure, she was moved to a room on the first floor with a window looking out to Jimmy John’s on Railroad Avenue.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m an episode of Rear Window, sitting here people watching,” Dolores said.
Even with the upgrade of her living situation, the Leopold was not a happy place for her.
“I want to be out of here,” she said. “There’s nothing going on.
She moved out of the Leopold on Friday, March 1, 2019.
