At 76, Kris Swinnea is embracing life with the same spirit and determination that have defined her journey for decades. The proud mother of three, grandmother of 15, and great-grandmother of eight has built a life defined by strength, service, and love. After living full lives in both the city and the country — and navigating the losses of two beloved husbands — Swinnea has found a new chapter at Edgemere, Dallas’s premier senior living community.
Born and raised in Houston, Swinnea married her first husband, Don, a teacher and coach, and together, they raised their children in the very same high school district she once attended. After Don’s sudden passing in 1994, she eventually remarried Sully, a rancher who had lost his wife to breast cancer. Swinnea traded heels for tractor boots and embraced rural life in Bremond, Texas. “I became a city girl turned country girl,” she said with a laugh. “I went from church office administrator to building, planting, and raising cattle.”
But after Sully passed in 2020 and a lung infection left her vulnerable, Swinnea’s children stepped in. “It was Thanksgiving, and we told her, ‘Mom, that’s it—you can’t be out in the pasture alone anymore,’” her daughter 
Donna Miller recalled. A whirlwind of events followed. The ranch sold in just two days, and within six weeks, Swinnea had moved to Dallas to live with Miller and her husband.
Because it was the height of the pandemic, Swinnea spent several months mostly alone in her daughter’s home, unable to engage socially due to restrictions and health concerns. Miller said, “We were glad she was with us and not out on a tractor, but she’s a fun, loving, energetic, young woman. We were worried that the lack of social engagement would dampen her spirit, and so we started looking at senior living communities so she could be with friends.”
‘I’ll Take It!’
They toured several communities across North Texas and Houston, but when Swinnea walked through the doors of what would become her apartment at Edgemere, she didn’t hesitate. “I said, ‘I’ll take it,’ right then and there,” she recalls. “The apartment was beautiful, the staff was warm, the residents were friendly, and I could picture myself living here.”
She moved into a ground-floor apartment—perfect for sitting out on the patio with her dog, Penny. The one thing the apartment lacked was a fireplace, so Miller bought her an electric one, and together, they furnished the space with love, including her grandmother’s china. “She had it pretty good at our house, so I wanted her new apartment to feel just as special,” Miller says.
Community and Bench Building
Once she was settled in at Edgemere, Swinnea threw herself into community life, joining the 
bridge and Mahjong groups, becoming a building representative, and working in the woodworking shop, where she now helps refurbish benches across the campus. “I’ve redone at least 13,” she says. “And there’s always another one waiting. I don’t sing, I 
don’t do art, but I do get great satisfaction from woodworking and fixing things.”
Miller couldn’t be prouder. “My mom is so cool,” she says. “If there’s a will, there’s a way, and she can do it. She’d run a church office during the week and was building a wall in our house over the weekend. She’s the kind of woman who carries four glasses of wine across the room for her friends who use mobility aids. I’m like, ‘Mom, they can get their own napkin,’ but it’s wonderful.”
Peace of Mind
The on-site care center, The Plaza, also played a role in Swinnea’s decision to choose Edgemere because assisted living, memory support, and skilled nursing are available right on the community’s Preston Hollow campus if ever needed, though they both prefer the idea of remaining in independent living with a caregiver visiting her there. “A lot of residents do that, and having both options gives us peace of mind,” she says.
Thriving at Edgemere
Life doesn’t slow down at Edgemere—it expands. “She was worried she might be too young or too active for a senior community,” says Miller. “But now she’s found friends across all ages, and she’s thriving.”
Swinnea’s not the only family member living life to the fullest at Edgemere. “Donna’s husband’s parents live here, too,” she says. “He was invited for an evening of wine and cheese, and was probably dreading it — thinking what could be more boring than a party with seniors, envisioning everyone quietly sitting in a circle in their wheelchairs. He walked in, and he stopped in the door and just stared. His parents were up dancing to a live band, and he was shocked. He says, ‘We’ve got to get the kids here. Everyone’s got to see what grandma and grandpa are doing.’”
“Edgemere is a vibrant place, but it’s more than that — it’s a real community. If someone’s missing from a gathering they usually attend, someone else notices. If someone needs help, people step in. When I went on vacation, I got phone calls from friends just checking in. It’s that kind of place.”
Learn More
Ready to learn more about life at Edgemere? Schedule a tour at https://edgemerelife.com/contact-us/ to see it for yourself.
