Red and Pauline have made Vista Prairie at Brentwood their home for seven years. They were well known Rice Lake citizens and wanted a place to live their later years together. Both now 94, they will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on August 3. They have known each other since they were both in the third grade in nearby Mikana.
Three of the couple’s children still live around the area. Red and Pauline were able to have their first inside visit with them recently for Easter, after the COVID restrictions were lifted.
Red is best known around the community as the 40-year manager of Birchwood Manufacturing. When he was involved, the plant provided employment to more than 230 people.
“Our main product was the laminated golf club head,” Red explained. “We made about five million heads a year.” That was back when golf drivers were still made from wood. Now most of them are metal. Red didn’t take up golf until after he’d retired from Birchwood.
Birchwood has evolved more recently to making faces for sheet paneling, since the plant was purchased by Besse Forest Products Group, a Michigan based producer of hardwood veneer, lumber and specialty plywood.
Before they moved to Brentwood, Pauline had spent eight weeks in a nursing home following some operations on her hips. That’s when they shopped around.
“We just thought this was kinda homey,” Red recalls, about their selection of Brentwood. “And it’s worked out that way.” The couple will be among the long-time residents who help welcome Mark Hayman this month, as Mark assumes the Executive Director's role at Brentwood.
The community offers 28 one and two-bedroom apartments for seniors who value their independence but want options for personal care and supportive services. We also offer 19 memory care suites that provide a long-term option for seniors diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.