A Full Circle Welcome: How Life Reunited a Resident and Staff Member At The Perfect Time

When Life Enrichment Coordinator Kristen Recchia met new resident Pat Krauss, neither could have imagined the connection they shared. A chance conversation revealed that decades earlier, their families had lived in the same home in England, worked for the same company, and even shared a meal together when Kristen was a child.

Now, all these years later, that same spirit of welcome has come full circle at Cedarhurst of Yorkville—proof that at Cedarhurst, every move-in is more than a transition; it’s a return to belonging.

The Moment Everything Clicked

Kristen remembers thinking she might bond with Pat over their shared connection to Connecticut. But the conversation with Pat’s son, Paul, and daughter-in-law, Stella, headed in a different direction.

Stella mentioned that Pat had lived in England. Kristen—an American who had spent several years in England during childhood—asked casually where they lived. When Paul responded, “Weybridge,” Kristen’s eyebrows lifted. When he added, “on Round Oak Drive, in a house named Pengwern,” Kristen froze.

“I honestly thought I misheard him,” she recalls. “I said, I lived in a house named Pengwern. Paul asked my father’s name, and when I said to him, “Larry Erickson,’ he replied, your father bought that house from my father.”

Kristen still remembers the shock: “All the emotions hit me at once. What are the odds? Our lives had crossed decades ago, and there we were, sitting together in Yorkville, Illinois.”

Paul describes the moment as “minute-by-minute disbelief” as each new connection surfaced. “First England, then Weybridge, then the street, then the house… it was surreal. Then adding in that we were all born in Greenville, Pennsylvania? The coincidences just kept stacking.”

A Welcome Never Forgotten

Kristen immediately phoned her parents, Larry and Kate Erickson, to share the discovery. Her mother didn’t hesitate—she remembered Pat instantly.

“When we first arrived in Weybridge, Pat took me and the girls out for pizza,” Kate says. “It meant so much at the time. We were brand new to the country. No social media. No easy way to connect. Expat families really had to rely on one another.”

For Pat, that gesture was simply part of what expat families did—help each other navigate unfamiliar places and new beginnings. As Paul explains, “We are Chicago Bridge and Iron (CBI) children. One big family. Your friends become your family.”

Larry recalls the purchase of the home vividly. “It all happened quickly. The house was owned jointly by the Krauss family and CBI. It was the only feasible option for us. When we met Pat for the first time, she couldn’t have been kinder.”

Shared Memories, Rekindled Decades Later

Though Kristen was only nine or ten when her family lived at Pengwern, she still remembers the house vividly—the layout, the trees, the long street, the bedroom she finally didn’t have to share with her sisters. Paul laughed when he learned that Kristen’s childhood bedroom had once been his brother’s.

For Paul, the reunion stirred memories long tucked away. “It instantly brought back things I hadn’t thought about in forty years—the front door, the kitchen, that modern feel the house had back then.”

Pat’s reaction was one of warmth and delight. Her family says she responded with curiosity and a spark of joy as Kristen and Paul reminisced about Weybridge. Even without remembering every detail, Pat quickly gravitated toward Kristen. “She is really responsive to her care,” her family shared—a testament to how meaningful that shared past feels in the present.

A Circle Completed

After learning of their extraordinary connection, the Cedarhurst team wanted to do something special—something that honored the history these two families unknowingly shared. On December 5, they gathered residents, staff, and Pat’s loved ones for a welcome pizza party, echoing the very moment decades earlier when Pat helped Kristen’s family settle into life overseas.

“For me, it was incredibly meaningful,” Kristen says. “It felt like bringing a moment of kindness full circle.”

Paul agreed. “The pizza party wasn’t just an event—it was a recognition of a shared past. We really appreciated the care and intention behind it.”

Finding Home Again

Pat is settling into life at Cedarhurst of Yorkville. Her family sees her engaging, smiling, participating—far more than in the early days of her transition.

“Pictures don’t lie,” Paul says. “She is cared for, engaged, and surrounded by people. We’re getting used to the new normal. The people make the place.”

For Kristen, this experience reaffirmed everything she believes about Cedarhurst and her role here.

“This is what I love most about Cedarhurst—the human connection. We aren’t just staff. Residents aren’t just residents. We’re a family. Stories like this matter. They remind us that we’re all connected in some way, and we just need to listen.”

She adds, “For seniors, reminiscing isn’t just pleasant—it improves cognitive and emotional well-being. Memories connect us. They give us identity.”

A Story Only Life Could Write

From Pennsylvania to England to Illinois, from one family home to another, from a welcoming pizza dinner in the 1980s to a welcoming pizza dinner in 2025—this extraordinary, unexpected reunion carries the gentle reminder that connection often finds us at exactly the right time.

And at Cedarhurst, connection isn’t an accident. It’s the heart of everything.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2026 issue of Flourish^® magazine.

About the Author

Ryan Davis is the Corporate Communications Manager at Cedarhurst Senior Living and the writer behind every story in Flourish^® magazine. He holds a Communications degree from Indiana University and brings 19 years of experience to his role, which he began in January 2024. Ryan is passionate about storytelling, especially sharing the meaningful lives of Cedarhurst residents, families, and staff. He hopes each published story becomes a treasured legacy for loved ones.