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

The biggest event in March was the passing of Elton Cleveland peacefully in bed March 6th. He was 107.5 years old, and had been with us here at PG 10 years. About 115 were here for his memorial service March 15 and many more listened by phone. About 50 attended the burial in Fairfield Pennsylvania March 22nd. Here are links to his obituary and to the notes from the memorial service.

We miss Elton’s zeal and joy very much at PG, but we are glad he finally was able to go on to the reward he has been waiting for so long. Here are pictures from the memorial service, the lunch afterward and of Elton’s family that was here.

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At the end of March Ruth Henderson came from New Mexico to be our 43rd resident at PG. Ruth is 95, and has spent 68 years in the work. Here she is surveying the view.

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Owen Henderson and his wife, Susan, brought his aunt Ruth here. He was a coworker with Gilbert Reese many years ago. He got him laughing about some old times in Colorado. He seemed to know him just by seeing him, which is really good for Gilbert these days.

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Emma has only been here a short while but she has already had several visitors. Here she is with Geili and Rubi Gomez and again in the kitchen with Sara Husers.

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We had a revolving door of visitors this month! Almost too many to keep track. Luckily, we had quite a few birthdays so many opportunities to take photos and jog our memory. Here is Esther on her birthday, 91 years young!

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Doreen just arrived and we already got to celebrate her birthday! She turned 80, what a milestone. Here she is with her well wishers and walking through the buffet line.

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Salena’s aunt and uncle, Doris Kopitke and Les Craighton, stopped by for the night before heading out on their vacation. Here they are in front of the fireplace with Gwen.

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We had two families come that know most of the residents. They were RVing around the South and wanted to stop by and say hello. They are the Lairds and the Taylors, seen here in front of their RV and in the kitchen respectively.

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Everyone has been getting a special visit recently. Esther had some friends from Georgia come, Walker and Pam Wood. Here they are with Esther in her room, and again with Abigail.

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Andray still comes to work with us when he can, this time we had lunch at the cabin! Also, Emma asked for root beer floats on Sunday and they were a hit.

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We are always enjoying the nature here, but spring has really vibrant colors. Here are some shots of the nature, sunsets, a bald eagle and the twins with a duck they found.

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Resident Journals

Gwen Farmer

Gwen got a special visit from her sister Wenona.. from El Paso, which brightens up her day. She keeps faithfully making the puzzles with Elsie, even if some of them are harder to see. Here she is with her sister Wenona, enjoying some chicken and saying farewell to Karen Cleveland.

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Esther Duncan

Esther still does great, especially for 91! She still walks everyday and helps out in the kitchen. She keeps up a healthy correspondence, even more so now that it was her birthday. Here are some shots of her with her cake and some of the festivities.

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Ronald Elliott

Ronald has slowed down some, he gets frequent bouts of pain in his back. This causes him to not sleep so well which contributes some to his decline. He still gets many visitors who love to come and chat with him. Here he is with the Lopez’s and again chatting with Doreen.

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Marie Mounce

Marie does well, still likes to cook in the kitchen from time to time. She enjoys the frequent company, especially any Spanish speakers, or someone she can talk about the islands with. Here she is with Leroy and Sara Husers, and again at the table with Javier and Nohemi Lopez.

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Elsie Schroeder

Elsie still does well, still finishing puzzles with relative ease. Her granddaughter, Candace Sandon, and family came for another great visit. Here they are in front of the fireplace.

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Emma Perez

Emma is our new little celebrity, with so many visitors in just a few short weeks! She loves to wash dishes. Kenny told her if she kept washing so many dishes we would have hire her! Here she is reading to Alice.

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Doreen Beyer

Doreen fits in great! It feels like she has been here all along. She enjoys working in the kitchen too. With her, Emma, Marie, and Esther all working in kitchen we feel well staffed! Here she is with her birthday cake, and in the kitchen chatting to Gwen and Marie.

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Ruth Henderson

Ruth is getting moved in nicely. She shared many years with most of the workers here so she is always willing to chat. She has already made a quick visit to those at Park Manor. Here she is excitedly talking with Joyce at the Willis Nursing home. She is always up for a laugh!

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Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken, Gilbert Reese, Joyce Naber

Each one does well, keeping on being peaceful and gentle souls. Joyce is always so alert and smiling when we come to visit. She remembered Ruth right away, even called her by her nickname! Her brother Galen Naber and his wife Marilyn came for a visit. Gilbert lit up when he saw his old friend and coworker Owen Henderson. Fern has had some very good days, even talking some on the phone when we are with her. Alice is always so sweet, and wanting us to come by more often. Here they all are with various visitors.

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Thank you for your interest and love for those here at Pecan Grove.

Kenny

A lot happened early this month. Elton had a bad fall, hit his head, and we thought we would lose him. Karen was called and she headed here from Colombia. He was awake for most of a day, but very confused. After that he went to sleep and was unconscious for most of a day, breathing sporadically. Then, while we were eating lunch, he got up, came out, ate some lunch and played the piano! He’s still not doing as well as he did before the fall, but his mind is good and he gets out to most meals and meetings. We’re glad Karen can be here with Elton and David for a few weeks. She’s heading back to Colombia in early February.

Emma Perez joined us as our 41st resident since we started in 2009. Now we have 8 residents and 3 in the Park Manor nursing home. See the updated “residents at PG” link in the upper right corner for more details. Here is Emma with Aislynn Stanton and Anna Rutherford who brought her here.

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Gilbert Reese turned 101 this year! The staff had him spiffed up and dressed like his old self. Here he is at the table with his cupcake, and some of the birthday attendees, and our lunch together afterward.

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Kim Schneider, Kathy’s sister, came from Minneapolis for visit. She was actually invited by Katelyn, and the kids really enjoyed their time playing with her. Here she is with Joyce, and the whole family out together at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It is always fun to learn!

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Every month Mimi comes to cut the men’s hair. They always look forward to the attention and fresh grooming. Here are Ronald and Elton getting their recent haircuts.

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Joyce had a visit from Wayne’s cousin, Lyle and Roberta Overby, from North Dakota. She spent time laboring in that state and was fondly remembering her time there. Here they are at the the table.

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We have a monthly staff meeting to keep up with resident information and learn about specific topics. This time Salena did a little show-and-tell about falling to make sure we got the message, also Salena playing with some snow, and our very happy squash.

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Kenny always appreciates any help he can get in the kitchen. This time Katelyn and Dylan gave a helping hand. Here are Katelyn and Kenny at the sink and Dylan cutting chicken. Can’t have chicken tortilla soup without the chicken!

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Kent and Linda Opel came for a quick visit. Here they are with Karen.

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Resident Journals

Ronald Elliott

Ronald continues to struggle with his voice. On his good days he can take part in meetings and studies. Other days he just passes the mic. Here he is with Wayne in front of the bookcase, and again reading the paper.

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Emma Perez

We enjoy having Emma here. She works hard in the kitchen helping the staff. She really likes to wash dishes. Here she is with our visitor Lynn Sorensen, and with Anita.

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Joyce Naber

Joyce had several visitors and did well reminiscing with them. Here she is with Anna again with Karen. She had a bad spell yesterday (the 30th). She was very weak in the morning. She spent much of the day in the hospital having tests (which showed nothing). During the course of the day she revived and is doing much better today.

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Marie Mounce

Marie does well, she attends all of her brother’s gospel meetings that she can, no matter how far away they are. While making buckwheat bread the rising dough got away from her but it turned out great! Here she is with Ronald at the table, discussing current events with Elsie and Joyce, and with overflowing dough.

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Elsie Schroeder

Elsie does well and is always glad to see her son Don and his wife Becky. They come often but cannot stay long. She says, “It’s nice to see them come but I hate to see them go.” Here they are chatting on her couch, and her with her morning coffee.

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Elton Cleveland

Elton does what he can. He sleeps a lot more throughout the day but is up some at night. He still plays the piano when he feels able, mostly from memory. Having David and Karen here has been a great help. Here he is with Karen and David, again with Kimmy, and watching one of his favorite things: trains.

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Esther Duncan

Esther does well, she enjoys a clear night sky and a large moon. When it gets really cold she likes to say, “I am going out for some FRESH air,” and then remarks how fresh it was when she returns. Here she is out for her walk.

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Gwen Farmer

Gwen is doing great. She receives regular correspondence from her friends in Korea and New Mexico. She still does the puzzle with Joyce and Elsie and they enjoy changing them out for new ones often. Here she is after the Wednesday study with Anita and baby Evelynn Nordic.

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Fern Duncan, Alice Oetken, Gilbert Reese at Park Manor, Conroe

Fern didn’t come out to be with us at Gilbert’s birthday party, but we still brought the party to her. Here she is smiling with Salena, who has been her most frequent visitor. Alice does well, she still likes to sit with Gilbert and chat. Gilbert seemed a little taken aback by Abigail reading him his mail, but always has a sweet spirit.

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Nature at PG

January is always one of our coldest months. We had several days below freezing and actually had some snow! That doesn’t stop the wild life from flourishing, though. Here are some pictures of the snow, a beautiful winter’s night and our newest neighbors, a beaver and a red shoulder hawk!

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We appreciate your continued interest in our residents. Please call the main line if you would like to chat with any of them.

October is our busiest month with conventions, birthdays, and visitors the month seems to fly by. Several of the residents were able to attend convention this year. Andrea Jensen came between conventions to visit her good friends, Dominique and Mimi. Here are a few photos.

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We have four major birthdays this month, but first up was the biggest. Elton turned 107 years young this month! David was already here but his daughter Sarah and her family came to stay with us for a few days. Elton’s grand children Libby Wimmer (VA) and Matt Hutchison (WA) came as well with his family. Matt and David wasted no time holding our first Pecan Grove arm wrestling match. Here they are talking with Karen on David’s phone, and agai at the arena A.K.A the piano bench.

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Salena thought it would be fun for the kids to have a campfire day. All of Elton’s family were present to try their hands at sparklers, making s’mores and playing cornhole.

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Abigail turned 26 this month, here she is with her cat themed birthday. Cats galore, she was also very pleased with her Sonic balloon. She does so many nice cakes for the residents that we feel she deserved a good one.

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Elsie turned 96 this month! She always loves to see her family, and what better time for a visit than a birthday? The day before her birthday they took her to a book store and out to eat. Even though she doesn’t ask, she really enjoys going out to do just about anything with family. Her birthday theme was hummingbirds this year. Here she is being flanked by her flowers and gifts.

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Anita had a fall themed birthday this year. Here she is with Shawn and her cake.

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Alice still has a room full of things to go through, which her niece so kindly offered to start on. Carol along with her husband Mike Martin came for a few days to take on this project and to see Alice. Here they are posing in front of the fireplace.

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Resident Journals

Marie Mounce

Marie went to three conventions this month. She went with Patty and Ronald to Georgetown Spanish and English, and then with Ken and Kathy to Effie. After Effie Marie is spending a few days with her sister, Varena McFadden, who is recovering from a stroke. Marie should be back to PG next week.

Ronald Elliott

Ronald was looking forward to going to both Georgetown Spanish and English. Unfortunately, he overestimated just how much he could handle the extra stimulation of visiting with so many people. He made it through the part of the Spanish convention but then needed to come home. He was not up for returning for the English convention, but instead rested and went to Mountain Peak. Kenion Coleman came to see him with our friend Max Montenegro from south Houston. Here he is with them in front of the piano, and again Ronald in our children’s play area reliving his younger years.

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Elton Cleveland

Elton had a whirlwind couple of weeks. His family kept him going with stories and chatting, but he still got his much needed rest. Here he is with the Furrows, writing his daily letter to Karen and eating some pie outside and with his family.

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Gwen Farmer

Gwen does well, and enjoys being part of the puzzle crew with Elsie. She enjoyed listening to the conventions over the loud speaker here. She said “even if I only get one sentence it is a bread basket”.

Joyce Naber

Joyce has had some discomfort on her scalp. The staff is regularly applying ointment to help sooth the red areas. She does not complain and takes it all in stride. She also had the shots done in both of her eyes for wet macular degeneration. Like usual, she needs her routine to keep in good spirits. Alas, she is needing more and more reassurance as to what day it is, or what she should be doing.

Elsie Schroeder

Elsie does great for 96. She really thrives on her family coming to visit. Here she is admiring her humming bird cake.

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Esther Duncan

Esther has had a wonderful month. She got to both Georgetown English and Mountain Peak. Esther has had several conventions already this year in Ireland, Kentucky and Tennessee, but she says “I am still hungry for more”.

Fern Duncan and Gilbert Reese

Fern recognizes us when we come to visit. This month Kenion Coleman paid her a visit and she knew him. Gilbert is mostly quiet, but still appreciates visitors. He often can be found sitting with Alice at his table. She does most of the talking.

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Alice Oetken

Alice has high spirits when we come to visit her. She loves chatting with visitors, and often asks about the residents. She also asks when her parents are coming to get her, so somethings are a little missing. Here she is with Gilbert at his table.

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We are thankful for your continued interest in our residents here.

Kenny and Ken