Residents

Sandy is a truly kind member of our community.  A friend to everybody, residents tend to gravitate toward her. We love you, Sandy!

Luanne, you are such a bright spot in our world! You make our lives better!

He’s such a good sport and loves to be involved in weekly crafts and competitions. And when summer rolls around, you’ll find him carefully tending his mini-garden just outside his room. Randy, you add a beam of sunshine to our world with your presence and your laughter!

Tanis has lived with us for several years and we find her a delight to know! She’s a faithful participant in our group activities and has taken on the responsibility of feeding our fish in Florida Lodge.  She’s crafty and creative, enjoys music, church, and movies. And she likes to keep everyone on track during activities. Tanis loves to tell us about her family and prays for them all the time. 

She’s always asks what flavor of coffee I have when I come in for the day and usually says, “Sounds yummy.  Where is mine?”

Like so many mothers do, Dorothy Owens worked hard for her family for years making carbide cutting tools at Fullerton Tools. “When you reach the age of 93, you don’t expect to be concerned about the health and well-being of your children” she recently commented as she solemnly gazed out the window of her Community Village room. Surrounded by photos of her late husband, her two sons and their wives, her emotions well up as she reflects on the challenges her oldest son faced with his military service in Vietnam, the loss of her husband 10 years ago, and the recent loss of her younger son. For more than a year, she prayed daily for this son as he was restricted to a hospital bed in Detroit. Her greatest consolation was the love her daughter-in-law poured out for him – on Dorothy’s behalf, too.

Brushing a tear from the corner of her eye, she remembers “we had wonderful times camping together at Big Bear Lake. We started in tents and gradually moved up to a motorhome.” She recalls how her husband helped build Sheridan Road Nazarene Church and again, years later, was part of the construction team when the church relocated and became Saginaw Valley Nazarene. And one of the biggest smiles came to Dorothy as she talked about singing duets at that church. Today she’s a regular attender at our Sunday services.

Happy Mother’s Day to you, Dorothy! And Happy Mother’s Day to all our other mothers! We’re grateful for you!

Pentra Trevino. She loves it when you can pronounce her name with all the beauty intended in the Spanish dialect. This mother of eight always enjoys visitors to her Community Village home. Like most of our families these days, her children are scattered from Saginaw to San Antonio. When Pentra lost her husband, she came to the conclusion she needed a home she could afford on her Social Security budget and one that met her various physical needs. Her answer came in two parts: Great Lakes PACE meets her health/medical needs and Community Village meets her needs for a safe home, nutritious meals, 24/7 assistance, and a friendly community.

Pentra fondly recalls days she used to play football with her children and go fishing on occasion. Many of those early days, though, were spent working together in sugar beet fields.

Today, life is a lot more enjoyable with activities like big ball kickball and BINGO. Pentra tells how she really appreciates the care she receives at Community Village and at Great Lakes PACE. She highly recommends combining the two programs to affordably address all the needs of someone advancing in years.