An 87-year-old grandmother has embraced a new "first" in her life.
A joyous TikTok video captured the moment Jan Lewis moved into her new home—her first solo apartment—with the support of her daughter, Suzanne Mosley, 51, and granddaughter, Ava, 22. The video showed Lewis excited and reflecting on how living alone wasn't accessible to women in her day. Mosley spoke to Newsweek about her mother's move, and how the family has rallied to celebrate her.
"'In my day it wasn't appropriate for girls to live alone,'" the video's caption read, quoting Lewis. "'You had to show your marriage certificate to get approved for an apartment! I'm excited to only worry about myself!'"
Lewis' move followed a difficult period. Her husband of many years had been living with Mosley's family for four years, and they cared for him at home during his final year and a half with terminal cancer. He passed away peacefully in May.
Shortly after, Mosley began to think about her mom's next steps.
"I had a strong feeling she might like a change of scenery after her very stressful year of caring for my father," she said.
A New Life Full of Community and Friendship
While Lewis' move into her own apartment signifies a newfound independence, it has also brought her into a vibrant and supportive community. Mosley found a wonderful independent living community nearby, which she felt would be a perfect fit for her very social mother. The feeling was mutual.
"When I took her to visit, she felt an instant connection to the building, the staff and the residents," Mosley said. "I dropped her off at the door so I could go to park the car, and by the time I got back to the lobby she'd already made two friends."
Lewis' new community is full of "many fun and interesting women who live there," and Mosley said they look out for and check in on one another. The new apartment offers much more than just a place to live; it also provides a new social life for Lewis, with daily activities like bingo, sing alongs with a pianist in the lobby, bridge clubs, church services and more. According to her daughter, Lewis now has her own social schedule—and she's busy.
A Family of Performers and Resilient Women
The TikTok account, shared by Lewis, Mosley and her daughter, was started as a "fun distraction" for the family during a stressful time," Mosley said.
The videos feature the three generations of creative women, all of whom love to perform. Lewis was a professional baton twirler and later an actress in commercials. Mosley is a professional dancer, and her Mosley's daughter, Ava, is a talented artist with a successful TikTok account of her own.
"I try to show what life is like for women of three very different generations; a still vibrant newly widowed woman in her 80s, a perimenopausal empty nester in her 50s and a single girl making a life for herself in her 20s," Mosley said. "Hopefully, we're showing that life can be awesome no matter what era of life you're in, and that women are super resilient. We survive and thrive, no matter what life throws at us."