For nearly 10 years, Otto and Kay Peña have called Cedar Community home, enjoying independent living in a Village Home on the Cedar Lake Campus. Their life together has included raising nine children, traveling the world, advocating for others, and finding new ways to stay active and connected. At Cedar Community, that spirit of adventure hasn’t stopped.
Building a Family
Otto and Kay Peña have built a life together that has been nothing short of adventurous, from raising nine children, one born to them and eight adopted, to traveling the world.
The Peñas adopted children from Vietnam, Korea, India, New Mexico, and Wisconsin. Some were infants while others were school-aged. Many were considered “hard to place,” as they were differently abled or carrying emotional scars from neglect and instability. Kay notes that physical challenges were often easier to navigate than emotional trauma.
Their son from Korea was eight when they adopted him. He had never attended school and was deaf, knowing neither Korean nor English. The entire family learned sign language together, a testament to their commitment to creating a better future for each of their children.
Adoption first became a topic of conversation after Otto saw the 1950 film Cheaper by the Dozen, a comedy based on the true story of a family raising 12 children.
“I was living in New Mexico after serving four years in the United States Air Force and saw so many kids living on the streets,” Otto recalls. “I thought having a large family was a good idea.”
Kay laughs, “I was young and in love and was not as willing to share my opinions as I am today.”
She said, “Why not?” And that’s how it all began.
The Peñas also fostered children and were deeply involved in advocacy for children with special needs.
Kay testified in Madison and even before Congress, speaking on behalf of children and families. She became an advocate not only for her own children but also for friends whose children needed help.
“What began as volunteer work became a big part of my life,” says Kay.
Careers, Purpose, and a Love of Adventure
Kay spent her earlier years raising children and working a variety of jobs. The money she earned was often saved in a sock, quite literally, so the family could travel.
“I didn’t have a career. I had jobs,” says Kay.
After raising her children, she decided to pursue a management degree and enrolled at Cardinal Stritch College at age 50. She earned a bachelor’s degree and went on to what she calls her “most sparkling” job as a program services coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
After serving his country, Otto worked in a variety of roles at a bank before becoming a foreign exchange dealer, buying and selling foreign currency on international and domestic markets. He enjoyed the work for 33 years.
At 89, Otto jokes, “I loved my job and would still be working there if they hadn’t let me go.”
For a short time afterward, he started his own business. During a routine physical, however, doctors discovered five blockages in his heart affecting four arteries. While Otto recuperated from surgery, Kay quit her job.
Together, they decided to travel.
Before Otto was even 60, he and Kay decided they were ready for retirement. They have never looked back.
Their adventures have taken them to the Republic of Mongolia, Vietnam, China, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska, and many more destinations.
They often sought out experiences that were a little outside the ordinary, working with an archaeologist in Alaska, learning to make poi from taro in Hawaii, working with cowboys on a cattle ranch, walking the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, and exploring the Prague-Vienna Greenways.
Finding Their Next Adventure at Cedar Community
The Peñas raised their children in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood before moving to a condo in Germantown, joking that they downsized so their children couldn’t move back home.
After 20 years there, and at the recommendation of their daughter, they moved to Cedar Community.
As their travels have slowed down a bit, Otto and Kay have found a different kind of adventure in everyday life at Cedar Community.
“We live at a summer camp,” says Kay. “We used to go to weekend camps with our kids where we’d get up in the morning, check the activity schedule, and head off in different directions. That’s what life is like here.”
They both say Cedar Community “saved” them during COVID. They believe isolation in their former condo would have been difficult, and they are grateful to be surrounded by neighbors they now call friends.
“You talk about loving your neighbor,” Kay says. “This is the place.”
Staying Active and Involved
The Peñas didn’t waste time getting involved in life at Cedar Community. Otto was in the woodworking shop within 10 days of moving in.
He has served on the resident activity committee, helped with the maple syrup group, joined the photography club, and is often found in the art room cutting mats for resident artisans.
Kay participates in the knitting group, book club, and Choristers. She enjoys “playing” in the art room, creating toilet paper roll and craft-scrap birds for residents’ birthdays, has served on the resident council, and has dabbled in the former lapidary studio.
Together, they volunteer regularly at Cedar Closet, Cedar Community’s clothing resale shop.
Friendship and Connection
Cedar Community has also reunited Otto and Kay with old friends. Several residents once lived in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood.
Fellow independent living resident Rich Miller even attended grade school with Kay.
“He told his wife he couldn’t believe it was me because I used to be so quiet,” laughs Kay.
Now, give her a microphone, and she will gladly tell you a story. She enjoys open mic nights, sharing life lessons, and she has had many after raising nine children and traveling around the world.
Today, Otto and Kay’s children are scattered across Wisconsin, North Carolina, Texas, and Arizona. One son passed away after a long battle with mental illness.
Their son Damon is a familiar face at the customer relations desk on the Cedar Lake Campus when it’s not baseball season, during which he works for the Milwaukee Brewers.
A Life Lived Fully
Otto and Kay’s experiences have shaped who they are today: faithful friends to their neighbors and generous contributors of their time, talents, and energy to Cedar Community.
When asked if there was anything else to know about them, Kay grins.
“We’re still married. Just barely.”
They both laugh.
It has been a life not for the faint of heart, but one neither would change. The Peñas got their large family and all the adventures that came with it.
And at Cedar Community, the adventure continues.
