October 2019

We love having Catherine, Max, Evie and Nora visit us! They were recently featured in the Waukesha Freeman for giving back to the community. Thanks for all the time you spend with us! The article is below or can also be found here in PDF format.

Waukesha family learns the importance of giving back

Last November, Catherine Obermann of Waukesha was thinking about how she could donate her time to help others and teach her three children why it’s important give back. She’s starting them off young. Max is 5, Evie is 3 and Nora is one year old.

“At the time, Nora was four months old so I wanted to figure out what to do with a newborn in the winter. There was a life care community close to my home in Waukesha, so I put in an application to see if they wanted volunteers. I got a phone call back from Grand Hills Castle in New Berlin, and they put me in contact with the activities coordinator. It was only 12 miles away.”

The distance is not exactly a quick trip to help a next-door neighbor. Still, Catherine says the weekly drive with her kids to visit residents every Wednesday is worth it.

“Life Enrichment Coordinator Jessica Haase introduced us to residents. All of us played with balloons and we talked that first day.

“It’s fun to bring the kids and residents together and watch them interact. No matter what age, people want the same thing. They want your attention and someone to love them,” she said.

Grand Hills Castle New Berlin opened in September 2018. The facility specializes in senior care for residents needing assisted living or memory care.

“Catherine and her kids add an intergenerational aspect to Grand Hills Castle,” says Jessica Haase. “Her children have developed really good relationships with the residents. It helps bring back memories of their own families when they were parents. The Obermanns add so much to our community.”

Catherine says the volunteer experience benefits the residents just as she hoped. Her kids are also learning by example. “There was a resident named Anita who has since passed away. We were with her every week for almost a year. One time, we were at the library and found a book and the person’s name was Anita. Evie would say, ‘At the nursing home.’ They know who and where they are going. That is great.”

Waukesha and New Berlin may only be a dozen miles apart, but friendship knows no boundary lines for the Obermanns. They are finding their friends from Grand Hills Castle all around the area.

“We were at the Milwaukee County Zoo before school started and it was Senior Day,” recalls Catherine. “All of a sudden, we spotted a couple of Grand Hills Castle residents there with one of their daughters and she recognized us.

“It’s such a small world that we can see each other outside their facility. We made a connection that day, too. It always puts a smile on their face and ours.”

This month, Dale Dent celebrates his one-year anniversary living at Birchrock Castle in Mukwonago.

We caught up with him on the patio to find out what he loves about his home and how he became a “caretaker” for the flowering and vegetable plants on the property.

Dale Dent has rarely met a plant that he didn’t like, or saved from premature demise.

While he spent a lengthy career as a machinist for Wisconsin Centrifugal and as a retail store owner in Easton, Dale Dent has been gardening all of his life. At Birchrock Castle, he’s the king of tomatoes, especially this year.

“I can’t believe how well they grow here,” says Dale. “The last three weeks of September, we harvested about 75 tomatoes. We all enjoy eating them fresh and in stews for dinner. With four pots left, there’s about 100 tomatoes that we hope to take in yet this fall.”

Dale took on this additional role one day while watching Birchrock Administrator Candy Mings caring for flowers on the back patio.

“I decided to help Candy, and she said, ‘You’ll get dirty,’ and I said, ‘I’ve been dirty all of my life,’” Dale recalls. “I look after about nine baskets of hanging petunias. I add plant food and water them.”

From three pots outside the door on the patio to gardens on at least a half-acre spread, Dale has produced all of his own vegetables and fruit trees everywhere he has lived.

This Michigan native grew up on a family farm, so he’s no stranger to hard work. Even at 87 years old, not much slows him down. The fall of the year reminds him of when he worked for a potato farmer and developed an incredible skill.

“You take a shovel, go underground and lift up two rows of potatoes. I picked them by the bushel by hand. I had the record there for putting 101 bushels in bags in one day. The farm had 80 acres of potatoes every year. That’s why I have a sore back now.”

While he likes to keep busy, Dale also appreciates the tranquil, wooded setting at Birchrock Castle and regularly enjoys conversations outside on sunny days. His wife of 67 years, Dorothy, has been a resident for three years now. In fact, he knew everyone on staff the first day he moved here. Dorothy is just down the hall from him, so they see each other every day.

“It’s just like home,” Dale says. “All of the people are nice and I don’t have to cook,” Dale says. “I love the food here. I haven’t had a bad meal since I arrived. They are professionals in the kitchen.

“The personality of the people here…well, they treat you like gold. I’m not exaggerating a bit. If you have a problem, they are right there to help.”

In fact, when Dale recently made a special request of one of Castle’s owners, it was fulfilled.

“Kris Kiefer (vice president of Castle Senior Living) was here one day to talk with Candy and I asked him to play the piano. He said, ‘I’d love to.’ He played five songs and sang, too. Kris can really play the piano well and has a good voice.”

When you meet Dale, you realize he’s not a man who reflects on the painful times of his life. His father died when Dale was young and he could only afford one year of college. When he looks back on the past, it’s with appreciation and joy.

“I’ve had a happy life. My wife and I never smoked. We had four children – two boys and two girls. Our oldest daughter died four years ago. The others all live close to here.”

His family, residents and staff are fortunate to witness the fruits of his labor on the grounds, and Dale is always happy to share bits of gardening advice.

“Pick off all dead flowers everyday so that the plant grows bigger and blooms again.”