Resident Profile:
Mr. Paul Lekas

Mr. Paul Lekas has a personality as big and comfortable as the plush leather recliner he sat in during our interview. Paul is easy-going with a ready smile and hearty laugh. It's no wonder he's made so many friends at Killarney Kourt. I asked Paul what a new resident to Killarney Kourt might experience, and he replied "I hope any new residents that move into Killarney Kourt want to be neighbors with me! But right now my whole wing is occupied, and they're all my good friends. Killarney Kourt is about friendship. I haven't met anyone here who's not a friend."

Paul was born in Holland, Michigan in 1930, and he's now 76 years old.. When Paul was five years old his family moved to Racine, Wisconsin. By the time his high school years rolled around, the family was back in Holland. Paul remembers how much he enjoyed sports in his high school years. He played on both the Holland High football and basketball teams. He was aggressive on the work front, too, holding down a job at a local gas station when he wasn't in class, out on the gridiron, or on the basketball court.

By the time he was 17 the family moved back to Racine, and, ever the go-getter, Paul landed a job with Case Industries by telling them he was 18 years old. When they found out he was underage, his boss called him into his office. "I suppose I'm fired" sighed Paul. "No" said his boss, "we'll put you right back to work on your 18th birthday."

Paul worked for Case until a friend -- the father of his wife -- urged him to get a job for the U.S. Postal Service. Paul said he didn't have any experience, but he took the exam just the same. Paul held a job with the Postal Service until his retirement 33 years later.

Paul met his wife Margery (she went by "Marg") by chance in a social situation. Their marriage lasted 47 years until Marg's passing in 2002.

Paul can't say enough good things about his lifestyle at Killarney Kourt. "The staff is fantastic. I've got it made here…there's something to do everyday. I feel more at home here than I did at my home in Virginia Street in Racine after Marg passed, and we lived in that house for 40 years."