The Marquis Community

Randy Anderson, a long-term resident at Marquis Plaza Regency, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 which has prohibited him from living independently ever since. Randy is always in the physical therapy room listening to his favorite music which includes rock, punk rock, and especially Bob Dylan. He’s always telling the staff how much he loves to listen to music and reminisces about all of the concerts he would go to see before his diagnosis. Through the New Chapter program, Randy was able to go to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Allegiant Stadium located next to the Las Vegas strip.

Randy was accompanied by his Aunt Linda, who works as a certified nurse assistant at Marquis Plaza Regency, and his Uncle Dion. They are all so happy to be able to go to a concert together again and were thinking back on the concerts that they had attended in the past. Randy mentioned that he tried to sleep the whole day before so that he would stay awake for the whole concert, which he did. He even got an RHCP bucket hat and t-shirt which he loves to wear around the facility. During the entire concert, he would blurt out, “Chili Peppers, woo hoo!” in excitement with the biggest smile on his face.

“Jim Schlegel, a resident at Marquis Forest Grove, has always lived on the wild side. Earlier this year, he attended Spirit of ‘45, a Vital Life Foundation event that honors our heroic veterans. It sparked his interest in flying, something he surprisingly hadn’t done before.

Jim expressed his desire to fly in a glider to LaRayne Barrios, Campus Activities Director, and the planning began. She found a soaring club that was able to make his dream come true, and on Sept. 23, 2022, Jim’s wish was granted. It was a beautiful, bluebird day, with not a cloud in sight—ideal flying weather.

As Jim prepared for take-off, his invited guests expressed their excitement for their friend. “I’m just so happy for Jim, this will be a memory that will last forever,” said a fellow facility resident. “I can’t wait to hear all about it when he lands.”

They all cheered as the tow plane pulled Jim and his pilot off the ground. Once up in the air and soaring, Jim was even given the opportunity to fly the glider. When the plane began to descend about half an hour later, Jim’s friends cheered louder and louder as he made a safe landing.

After touching down, Jim was still on cloud-nine. “There is nothing like the serene feeling of soaring through the blue sky with the bright sun beaming and not hearing a single sound,” he said. “No engine, no wheels, not even a bird.” It was a day Jim and all who attended will cherish for years to come.”

Ron Brady, a resident at Marquis Hope Village has always had a real passion for fast cars. As Melissa Laurandeau, Hope Village Memory Care Administrator, began to learn more about Ron’s love for cars and hiHope s racing career, she became determined to find a way to get Ron back on that track; a perfect example of where there’s a will, there’s a way. Ron traded the fast track for a family life after the 1960′s but his love has always lingered.

Now at 82-years-old, he got the chance to ride inside the Porsche 911 GT3 at Portland International Raceway with Todd Harris, a SCCA National Champion race car driver himself. Ron’s two sons and daughter all watched nearby as Ron sat in the passenger seat, flying down the track at more than 100 miles per hour. “I’m hoping he really enjoys it and there’s a little bit of me that hopes he does remember from now until whenever,” said Ron’s daughter, Deanna Marciel. “He can look back and say, ‘Oh that was a lot of fun.”

Allen Jinkins, a resident at Marquis Mill Park, had many hobbies back in the day, including woodwork, leatherwork, and archery. But recently, due to his health, he hasn’t been able to do what he loves most: archery. Archery has been Allen’s favorite sport and passion since he was nine years old. He grew up in Missouri, where he says, “times were rough,” and in order to feed his family of eight, he picked up a bow and started hunting rabbits. He then continued to practice this skill as recreation for as long as he was able-bodied.

When Jasmine Tran, a Marquis intern at Mill Park, began to do some digging around Allen’s archery background, she learned he’d been an archery instructor for 25 years at Broken Arrow Archery in Milwaukie, Ore. He expressed to multiple staff members that he’d like to set up a mini archery range in the senior care facility, as his love for the sport had never faded. Though staff were unable to accommodate that idea, they decided to take him out to the same archery range where he had invested so much time.

Jasmine reached out to Dana Richard, the shop manager at Broken Arrow Archery, who quickly remembered Allen and was thrilled to play a part in this special day. Dana wasn’t at all concerned that Allen is wheelchair bound and struggling with other health conditions. “Nothing to worry about.” he said. “If Allen has a will, I’ll make a way. I really can’t wait to help him shoot archery again. It pulls on my heart strings because he gave so much to the sport.”

Once Allen picked up the bow, it was like riding a bike again—he’d never forgotten and was able to shoot multiple rounds on his own with no help at all. “It makes me so happy to see him doing this, because he’s lost everything he liked to do,” said Allen’s wife, Sue, as she watched him string arrow after arrow into the bow. “This is great.” After their time at Broken Arrow, the day wasn’t over yet. The Marquis team fulfilled another of Allen’s requests—they all went to Applebees for lunch.

A wedding is always rich in symbolism, but on a sunny afternoon at Marquis Forest Grove, it carried far more than usual. Residents, family members and staff gathered on the lawn to celebrate two milestones—the beginning of a new life together for residents Mike and Diana, and the birth of a hopeful new post-pandemic world. The event was made extra special with the help of Marquis’ New Chapters program.

The couple met a couple years ago in the facility dining room, where one day in the middle of lunch Mike suddenly blurted, “I know who I want for my girlfriend.” “Who?” Diana asked. “You!” Mike responded. The courtship didn’t turn out to be that easy, as she admitted not liking him at first. Their first area of commonality was that they had both driven semi-trucks. Then they started going to Bible studies and just hanging out, and one day in an epic scandal, another resident caught them kissing. Two years later, they were married.

Emotions were high that afternoon, and not just because of the wedding. Both Mike and Diana gushed about how supported and loved they felt by everyone at the facility. The residents and staff had been through so much—many, including Mike after a long battle, had survived COVID-19, so to be sitting together in the sunshine felt like the dawning of a new day.

“Before the vaccines, I never would have pictured we could do this,” said Forest Grove administrator Evan Windsor to the happy couple. “We’re a small community and everybody is like family, so to be able to celebrate this with you is just huge. It shows that on the road to recovery from the pandemic, we’re almost there.”

Dannice Meyers began her motocross racing career in 1960, the same year female independence and equality began to take shape and women made their way to the racetrack. Soon after, Dannice ordered her first motorcycle from Japan. “It wasn’t anything more than a lawnmower, 50 cc’s, but I could outrace and beat others on more powerful engines,” she said. Not only did Dannice assemble this bike on her own, but she managed to do all the upkeep and maintenance while competing.

As she shared photos from her racing days with staff at Marquis Wilsonville, Stephanie Larsen, Activities Director, proposed that Dannice re-experience the sport that once brought her so much joy. Reluctant at first, she finally agreed. Prior to the ride, Dannice stated several times how appreciative she was to everyone involved and how much she was looking forward to it.

It was a beautiful day, 68 degrees and not a cloud in sight, as Dannice rode out to the countryside where they were able to stop at the Oregon Golf Club of West Linn to soak up the picturesque views of Mt. Hood. Following the ride, Dannice participated in an extensive photo shoot with several poses on the cycle to recreate her past photos.

“It felt so good with the air and sun,” she said. “Racing has been hard to give up, but the ride was good and smooth.”