Carlton Senior Living News and Insights

Carlton Senior Living | February 8, 2021

Resident Spotlight - Geoffrey Harmer

Geoffrey Harmer was born April 17, 1936 in Greenville, a small community in Plumas County, in northeastern California. Geoff’s parents, Millie and Ralph, were high school teachers. His father taught music and was a public school administrator. He is an only child. Geoff was a Boy Scout and eventually achieved the rank of Eagle Scout; becoming an Eagle Scout is his favorite childhood memory. After their time in Greenville, Geoff’s family moved to the small town of Quincy, where he attended high school. After graduating, he studied industrial engineering at Stanford University. With his degree, he became an assembly engineer and worked at vario …

Carlton Senior Living Blog | December 27, 2020

Arnold and Josephine Banta - A Thank You to the Entire Carlton Staff

Dear Tracey, Evelyn, and the Entire Carlton Staff, On behalf of the entire family, I wanted to send you a formal thank you to everyone at Carlton Downtown Pleasant Hill. I apologize that it has taken a long time for me to actually get around to finishing it. I don’t think that there are adequate words or gestures that can express our immense gratitude for everything that the Carlton Team did for my mom and dad. From September of 2016 to June of 2020, everyone at Carlton did everything to make sure that my parents had a safe and comfortable time during their final years Arnie and Jo were just shy of their 97th and 96th birthdays when they mov …

Carlton Senior Living Blog | December 18, 2020

Welcome Claudia Graetsch-Vasquez!

As we near the end of 2020 we wish to express our gratitude for who the year has brought into the Carlton Senior Living family. Among these individuals we welcome onboard Claudia Graetsch-Vasquez as our new Dietitian and Nutritionist for all Carlton Senior Living communities. We invite you to read more about how Claudia first became interested in the field of nutrition, what motivates her, the thing she is looking forward to most and how she chooses to “live her life.” Claudia attended Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill directly after graduating high school to complete some undergraduate work. She then transferred to Cal Poly State Univer …

Carlton Senior Living | December 1, 2020

Join us in supporting the Alzheimer's Association this #GivingTuesday

Please join us in supporting the Alzheimer’s Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research this #GivingTuesday. Carlton is proud to support the Alzheimer’s Association each year and in 2020 our associates have raised over $13,800 for the cause. Help end Alzheimer’s and make a donation through Carlton’s Team Portal. Associates and residents at the 2019 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in San Ramon, California.

Carlton Senior Living | November 29, 2020

"Which Army to Join? Scott Wan Chose the US over the Chinese," by Harriett Burt

Wan Qupi Sum was 16 when he made a life-changing choice 68 years ago. He could have remained in southern China where he was born in 1936 or he could come to America in 1952 where his father had lived as a farm laborer near Stockton since 1924. For years the father had worked hard in America to make enough money to support his Chinese family at home and to put aside to retire in America someday. In the late 1940s, history in the making would bring Qupi Sum and his eleven-year-old brother to America in 1952. The Chinese Communists had taken over China in 1949 after helping America’s World War II ally, the Nationalist Chinese, to drive out the J …

Carlton Senior Living | November 22, 2020

"The Attic" from the Memoirs of James Thompson Sr. of Carlton San Jose

“The Attic” is just one of the many short stories from the memoirs of James Thompson Sr., a resident of Carlton Senior Living San Jose. Written during the 1970s, Thompson’s writings illustrate what life was like as a child growing up in the small town of Dyer, Indiana during the 1930s. Dyer is a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana and is a southeastern suburb of Chicago. According to census records, the population of Dyer was just 672 in 1930 and had increased to 976 by 1940. “The Attic” by James Thompson Sr. The attic was a good place to play if the weather was mild. In the summer, the attic was very hot and in the winter it was …

Carlton Senior Living Blog | November 15, 2020

"Let's Dig In, Go Green & Talk Recycling"

Today we recognize America Recycles Day, a day to spread awareness of keeping our communities beautiful and sustainable for future generations. We are excited to showcase the efforts of Denee Coleman, one of Carlton Senior Living’s Inbound Marketing Specialists, who has gotten involved in cleaning up her local Contra Costa community of Martinez, California. The above photo of Denee was taken at Nancy Boyd Park in Martinez across from Contra Costa Fire Station 13. “You can make a meaningful difference in your community, even if it’s in a small way, like picking up litter.” -Denee Coleman, Inbound Marketing Specialist, Carlton Senior Living De …

Carlton Senior Living | November 1, 2020

Resident Spotlight - Lucy Day

Meet Lucy Day, Carlton Senior Living’s spotlight resident – Louise “Lucy” Day was born January 26, 1943 to parents Mary and Jim Day. Louise was born at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She has two siblings—one older sister, Donna, and one younger brother, Jim. She, Donna, and Jim are still very close. They enjoy having dinner, going on walks, and seeing movies together. Her favorite childhood memories revolve around the family cabin in Bayfield, Ontario, on Lake Huron. She enjoyed watching the lake from the lookout tower. She and her siblings also loved climbing up and down the cliffs, despite the poison ivy that grew on them! Lucy grew u …

Carlton Senior Living | October 11, 2020

"Two Worlds Meet at Carlton: The Story of Setsuko Iwawaki Brockman" by Harriett Burt

An interesting thing happened during the recent temporary re-opening of the dining room so that new wait staff could be trained on proper meal service techniques. Table seating of residents (two to a table or booth) were organized by Dining Room Manager, Janine Smith of Carlton Pleasant Hill-Martinez. Among the ‘two at a table’ next to a window were Blanche Perry and Setsuko Brockman. Both being friendly types, they started exchanging information about themselves right away. Blanche mentioned she had lived in Japan for two years after World War II with her US Air Force husband and their family. Lo and behold, it turned out Blanche had lived i …

Carlton Senior Living | October 4, 2020

Resident Spotlight - Anthony Curatolo

Meet Carlton Senior Living’s spotlight resident, Anthony “Tony” Curatolo – Anthony was born in Queens, New York in 1927. He is one of five children and during his school years, he did well in math. He also joined the gymnastics team and played for the local football team. After high school, Anthony had a couple of jobs. He joined the United States Marine Corps and served in China at the end of WWII. When Anthony returned home to New York, he married Julia in 1949. The Curatolo’s went on to have eight children, including twin daughters. They also have fourteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Anthony celebrated his 93rd birthday at …

Carlton Senior Living | August 30, 2020

Warren and Joann Smith Celebrate 64 Years of Marriage in Downtown Pleasant Hill

This couple from Carlton Senior Living Downtown Pleasant Hill proudly celebrated 64 years of marriage on August 29, 2020. It all started at the annual picnic at Humboldt State University where Joann came with a friend of hers in a bright red sports car. Warren came to the picnic with a friend and case of beer. When he saw Joann sitting in that red sports car, he offered her a beer. She accepted and their wonderful life started together. That summer, Warren had to go to Washington state for work but he decided to come back. Joann remembers having a quick wedding in Reno, Nevada as football season was about to begin for Coach Warren. Together t …

Carlton Senior Living | August 23, 2020

"Life Isn’t Always Easy, But It Can Be Fulfilling: Bill Rainford's Story" by Harriett Burt

Life Isn’t Always Easy, But It Can Be Fulfilling: Bill Rainford’s Story Carlton is not the first place Bill Rainford has lived in the neighborhood dominated by Taylor Boulevard, Pleasant Hill Road and Alhambra Avenue. A few years ago he owned a condo on Ridgeview Court, which is located near Carlton. But he has also resided in an impressive number of other neighborhoods across the country and overseas for much of his life before ending up twice, so to speak, in Pleasant Hill. Rainford is the name of a village in the northwest of England formerly famous as a producer of clay pipes. His paternal grandfather grew up there leaving in the 1890s to …