Pecan Grove (www.pecan-grove.net) Pecan Grove and Senior Residence

April has been a beautiful, busy month!  A new resident, Della Bolt moved in to PG.  Della (86) raised 4 girls in Brunswick GA (Darlene, Christine, Henrietta and Della Mae,  in Brunswick GA) outlived 3 husbands, and spent the last 30 years living near Houston.  Her last husband, Guy Bolt, was a close friend of our family… built the house I was raised in, in Maryland and  Della was one of my mom’s best friends.  Della has been a big help wherever she’s been, and we’re glad for her influence already at PG.  Here she is her first day at PG and then with her daughters Chris and Della Mae and their husbands and granddaughter.

Jeannette Ford passed away in Fort Wayne IN.  Jeannette visited Esther Potts here several times, and then was a resident here for some months in 2015.  She fell and broke her hip, was in rehab here until it became clear she wouldn’t walk again…  so she was moved to a nursing home in Fort Wayne.  Here’s a picture of Jeannette enjoying hot fudge Sundays with Elton and Karen Cleveland when she first came to PG.  Also links to her funeral notes and pamphlet.

  Funeral notes for Jeannette Ford, April 21, 2019    Jeannette Ford Funeral Pamphlet

Alice turned 90 in April.  She has a big family, so she had lots of visitors!  They included Ron and Sharon Hanson with 2 daughters and a granddaughter, Roger and Marian Fryer, Charlie and Rosie Erickson, Lyle and Barb Davies, Karen Oetken, Mike and Carol Martin, Roger and Sue Erickson, Carol Erickson, and the Saldana family

My birthday was the same day as Alice’s, so… lots of food and visits.

John and Lois Culver’s brother passed away in TN.  They flew up for the funeral, and will return Thursday.  Here’s a picture of the Culvers with John, Norman and Tim Bradley at the back, Sue, Nell (Carl’s wife) and Lois in front.  The second picture is most of the workers that were at Carl’s funeral.

Other visitors in April included Mike and Karla Weber with Joyce, Cynthia Abate with Fern, Clayton and Pearl Strickland, and Linda Grotz with Marybelle.

Dominique Mille’s cousin Catherine from Paris is visiting for a few weeks.  Janice Witty from Ontario also visited.

We thought it was cute when our dog drug in a deer antler.  Until it gave us a flat!

Ken

Ruth Evans passed away in Georgia.  She had been at PG from May 2016 to July 2017.   Here’s a picture of her when she first came to PG, and a link to her funeral notes.  We heard that Ruth was rich… God made her rich… in riches she could take with her.  We’re glad we got to know her in her latter years.

            Ruth Evans funeral notes

Don and Jenny Waldo and their 3 kids, Ava, Jaina and Oscar came back for a visit.  They lived here a few years, and moved to Minn about 5 years ago.  Here they’re pictured with 2 of our grandkids, Katelyn and Dylan Kelleher.  Kathy’s aunt Jane (Morstad) Jacobsen, who lives near Plentywood, Montana and winters here in Magnolia, visited for a few days.  Here she’s playing Scrabble with Lois.

Sarah (Greenstreet) and Joel Kujath had a birthday celebration for Jane, and invited several of the residents and ourselves.  Sarah’s sister Sue (Greenstreet) Holladay and her daughter Katelyn were also there.  The first picture below shows Faith (Morstad) Braaksma (Jane’s daughter), Jane, John and Lois.  The second picture includes The Kujaths (except Weldon who took the picture), Faith’s husband Mike, Jack, Kathy and I.

Cindy Peter visited her brother Gary, who brought her to PG.  Here is Adrianna, Susan, Cindy and Gary Peter with Elton.  Also Cindy with Fern and Gilbert.

Glenn Thomas from NJ was passing through the airport here and had a layover, and wanted to see Fern. We took Fern and went to an Indian restaurant with Glenn.  Clinton Goff loves to get his mail, though he is far from being able to write.  We’re glad Cindy Johnson continues to help with his correspondence.  Judy Timmersman brought Cinda Taylor to visit.

Duane and Joan Hinkley invited all the residents to their home for lunch, and all were able to go.

Birthdays this month included John’s 93rd and Salena’s 26th.  John’s birthday cake was made of cupcakes with fishing poles and fish!  First he’s been able to catch in a long time!

Spring is beautiful!  The pecan trees are about the last to bud.  There are lots of flowers in the orchard.

Ken

All the residents are doing well.  John Culver needed a heart valve replacement (called a TAVR)… he had less than 40% of his heart function.  A TAVR is what Gilbert had last spring, that gave him a new lease on life.  For a month and a half they did many tests on John, and were then reluctant to actually do the TAVR because of poor kidney function.  Finally, last week, the TAVR was done, and his heart is much improved.  Spending weeks in the hospital made him weak, so he went from the hospital to a rehab hospital.  His strength is coming back and he should be home next week.  Here’s Dominique and Lois visiting him in the hospital and then John doing PT in the rehab hospital.

Marybelle had her 93rd birthday.  She left yesterday for Kansas to attend her sisters funeral.  Ana Laura is traveling with her.  Penny and Gilbert (95) also had birthdays.

Elton likes to “get out”.  Dominique and Mimi took him to visit Regi Hedahl in Goliad Texas (215 miles), to see Regi’s collection of pianos.  Here are Dominiquie and Mimi on that trip, and then looking at a piano Regi is playing.

On other outings, Elton had is picture taken with a Texas sized bull, ate out with the Overbys, and ate out with Ed Lloyd, Jim Eubank and Al Perkins.

Billie Grunden, Stacey Seidlitz and Kaitlyn McGee visited from LA, shown with Gilbert and John.  Darren and Damon Printz visited, shown here with Dominique.

Doug and Gloria Kellogg visited from OK.  Gloria is a cousin to John and Lois.  Here they’re with Lois at the morning study, and then with John in the rehab hospital.

Lowell and Margaret Timmersman from MN and their daughter Julie Schibi from Austin visited.  Tony and Donna Hottell from College Station also visited.

Chris and Jo Ellen Hertz visited from La Vernia TX visited.  In the second picture they’re with Ana Laura, Penny, Jennifer and 6 residents.

Julio and Ivi Martinez and family visited from Austin.  Some played Scrabble with Lois.

My sister Ronda and husband Mike Rosamond were here from AR.  Mike helped me cut a big oak that was dead, and leaning over the drive.  We managed to drop it without getting hurt or destroying anything.  But the work continues!  We left MA in 1985… thinking our wood splitting days were behind us!  We’ve had a few nights below freezing, so we do enjoy the fireplace.

Ken

On December 11th we set a new record… the ambulance had to come to PG twice!  At breakfast Gilbert passed out and was taken to the ER.  They kept him overnight for observation, but couldn’t find anything wrong.  He’s wearing a heart monitor for a month.  Then at supper one of our staff, Penny Clinton, had a grand mal seizure!  She had never had a seizure before.  She was in the hospital overnight and now takes seizure medication.  Otherwise all are doing fine.  John has had a lot of doctor appointments, with hopes that they will do a TAVR heart valve replacement in early January.

Nelson and Heather Whelan visited from Maryland.  We know them from our years in Maryland, and they know Lois well.  Lois had her 91st birthday.

We had two large groups come to visit.  The first group below is the Spunaugle & Willhoite family from Redbud Canyon were here on their way to a cruise.  Glenn wasn’t with them… he was at the convention in Haiti and joined them before the cruise.  The Uzzells, Jinks and Van Houtens also visited.

Ana Laura Olivares helped out at PG a few weeks.  Here she’s with Sarah, Rachel and Alice.  Ronda Stidolph was here for a gospel meeting, shown here with the Potter family.

Kathy’s sister, Pat Johnson who is on the Iowa staff came for a visit.  Also the Overby’s daughter Kari and Del Campbell visited.  Bo and Jearene Nettles from Mississippi visited Gilbert.

We had several other visitors, but unfortunately we didn’t get pictures.

It rained a lot in December… again.  Over 8″ one day.  PG is on a hill, so water runs off well, but the lakes do overflow.

Happy New Year!

Ken

November has been a busy month.  Alice flew to Minnesota and visited relatives for 2 weeks.  Elton flew to PA for Roger’s burial.  Marybell fell, broke some ribs, and spent 1 night in the hospital.  We had lots of visitors and too much food!  Lots to be thankful for!

Yesterday we took the following picture which includes all 8 residents, along with David and Lois Lancaster who are visiting from Maine, and Ana Laura Olivares who is visiting from Mexico.

Back: Salena Newman, Kathy Newman, John Culver, Gilbert Reese, Elton Cleveland, David Lancaster, Jack Newman

Front: Fern Duncan, Alice Oetkin, Ana Laura, Lois Culver, Lois Lancaster, Marybelle Armstrong

We had a large group for Thanksgiving dinner.  Here’s the table from both ends:

Our sisters are back, Sarah Ranstrom and Rachel Potter.  The second picture is of them with visitors, Sarah, Martha Reynosa, Ana Laura Olivares, Maria Reynoso, Merari Reynoso and Merari’s son Benjamin, Rachel and Alice.

As mentioned, Elton went to PA for Roger’s burial.  Some have asked about how Clinton in doing in the nursing home here in Conroe.  He’s rarely out of bed, so here’s a picture in bed, reading his mail.  His mind is clear about the past, even the recent past, but he seems to know nothing about the present.  Here he as reading a letter from Ray, and he asked if Ray had been to Sam’s funeral. That’s pretty recent!

Fern had a visit from fellow Canadians, the Richard, Roger and Betty Egger from Ontario.  The Cortez family from Round Rock came for  visit, Ruben, Lori Cortez, Mason, Chase, Madelynne.  Ty Nordic’s parents Gary and Sharon visited from Colorado.

Kathy and I had a business trip to Moscow and Aberdeen.  I’ll include one picture from each.  Some may know Steve and Linda Shannon, and Alex Main.

Thanks!

Ken