Pictured here, Marlene is sitting next to a photo of Bruce, her husband and business partner until he passed away in 2012. Marlene’s sons and daughters-in-law moved her into Vista Prairie at Brentwood in June last year. More than 50 years of community service describe Marlene and Bruce’s life, along with their two boys in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Arnold’s Mobil, the service station on Main Street that Bruce and Marlene owned, served Rice Lake for 49 years, pumping gas and performing car maintenance in the community. Marlene kept the books, part time, during those years and both boys also helped out. For part of that time, Marlene also served the Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce, where she was the Executive Director for more than 15 years.

“I was in charge of all the meetings they had,” Marlene recounts. “We had annual dinners, and I was responsible for getting those ready. I loved it because I loved the people.”

Marlene already knew many of her fellow Brentwood residents, so it was not a hard decision about where to move when she was ready to give up her home. The family also had a long relationship with Brentwood’s Activities Manager Lee Ann Kritch.

“I like the food. I like the people,” Marlene says about her ten months living at Brentwood. “I enjoy the people because I know a lot of them, and I’m fortunate to have a cousin who also lives here.” Now at 85, Marlene dotes on her five great grandchildren and four grandchildren, a responsibility she’s happy to keep serving.

The Brentwood community serves seniors on all sides of the care spectrum, with 28 one and two-bedroom apartments for those who want options for personal care along with their freedom of movement. We also offer 19 memory care suites that provide a long-term option for seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.