Treemont Retirement Blog

by Jane Zimmerman, Treemont Resident

Handsome resident Charles Revilla is a coal miner’s son, born July 6, 1926 in Imboden, Virginia.  His father quit mining when he got married in Rose Hill, Va. and tried farming, but was not fond of the profession.  Nor was he happy with Ford’s Detroit industries he tried, so he returned to Imboden as a coal miner.   His father retired at 65 years old and had many stories to tell about mining, including a close call he had when a rock roof collapsed, killing his partner. 

Needless to say, Charles chose a different career path, with the aid of the U.S. Navy during WWII.  He was drafted, served from 1944-46 and had experience with atomic bomb testing at Bikini lagoon in the Pacific.  The great thing about serving in the Navy was his eligibility for college on the GI bill, although he worked for his father in the timber yard outside the coal mine immediately after leaving the service.

by Jane Zimmerman, Treemont Resident

Always pleasant, smiling and beaming with joy, Lois McCall glides through Treemont in her power chair on her way to the dining room, activities or to meet a friend.  She always acknowledges those who speak or simply offer her a smile.  After residing at Treemont for 10 years, she knows many people and has many friends through her volunteer work here.  Lois leads the Monday afternoon Bible Study class in the Green Room and began the “Meet Your Neighbor at Treemont” articles, which yours truly now writes due to Lois’ busy schedule.  Originally, she thought it would be a nice idea if residents knew each other, and how right she was!

Editors  note: Click here to view a story about Ms. McCall in the Houston Chronicle. Lois has also written about the Top 10 Reasons Residents Chose Treemont. 

We all have a story to tell, including Lois, who was born in Dallas, TX and raised by a single mom, who was a woman of strong faith.  Lois describes her as “big as a minute, strong as an ox and stubborn as an army mule.”  She was so certain that Lois should go to Baylor

We hope the community will support two events at Treemont this Friday, May 10^th and then on May 17^th. 

Treemont Retirement and Health Care, along with Senior Allegiance Home Health, is sponsoring its 1^st Annual “Drive & Drop” on Friday, May 10^th from 9:30am to 5:00pm to support AMVETS (American Veterans Organization). BE A HERO TO OUR HEROES by supporting AMVETS (American Veterans Organization).  Take the opportunity to do some Spring cleaning by donating children’s and adult clothing, bedding, house wares, small appliances, laptops and TV’s/Monitors. Put your donated goods in boxes or clear plastic bags and drop off in the back of Treemont Health Care Center at 2501 Westerland Drive, located in the Memorial / West chase neighborhood.  

Then join Treemont for a “" the following Friday, May 17^th from 3pm to 6pm with “appetizers on sticks.” The community is invited in appreciation for being a HERO to a HERO! Treemont’s Chef James Renshaw will be cooking up the scrumptious appetizers. Please join the festivities at Treemont. Music entertainment will be provided. Come join the fun! Questions? Call Treemont Admissions Director Kelli Walleck at 713-816-2033 or KelliW@TreemontHC.com or 713-783-6820.

by Jane Zimmerman, Treemont Resident

^{Always sweet and smiling is the platinum, curly haired Carmin Cleavenger. Outwardly, she is friendly and fun-loving, but her true spirit is helpful, patient and kind; her life story explains both sides.}

^{Carmin was an only child, born in Dallas, Texas on the day after Thanksgiving, December 1, 1933 (Thanksgiving’s date was changed during WWII).  She was 8 years old on Pearl Harbor Day December 7, 1941 and remembers WWII. Carmin still remembers the line, “day of Infamy.”  Her dad, who had been in WWI, signed-up for WWII, so Carmin swam in the officers’ family pool.}

^{But when Carmin was 6 years old, her friends teased her that one day she would someday become a teacher – mainly because she was already teaching them!  She attended and graduated from Incarnate Word High School and had 2 years of college at Incarnate Word College.  She then finished at Georgetown with a major in Christianity and minor in Philosophy.  She went back to the University of Houston}

Physical Activity and Heart Disease

Healthy Tips for Seniors: Don't Let Spring Allergies Get the Best of You

As spring time approaches, so does Allergy season! As flowers begin to bloom and people start to cut their grass more frequently, sniffling and sneezing begin to affect the more than 50 million Americans that suffer from allergies. This is a reminder for those residents at Treemont senior living in Houston community as you return to your Gardening Angel projects and walks around the campus.

As flowers and trees begin to bloom, they release pollen in the air. As pollen goes into the air, it causes one’s immune system to identify pollen as a danger and release antibodies that attack the allergens. The antibodies released in the blood are called histamines. Histamines are responsible for symptoms such as runny nose and itchy eyes that most people experience. This

by Jane Zimmerman, Treemont Resident

Smiling, friendly and talkative Sherry Taylor has lived at our senior living Houston community about one year with her cute little chihuahua dog, Eve, as Treemont is pet-friendly.  She loves the food and the friends she has made in such a short time; after living on her own, she moved here after a bad ankle break that required surgery. She has completely recovered now, but is so impressed by Treemont Retirement Community and all it has to offer, that she has decided to relax, retire and enjoy herself.  And why not?

Born in Oklahoma in April, 1952 makes Sherry one of our “Baby Boomer” population.  Sherry’s father was transferred to Brown & Root’s Houston location while she was growing up.  Sherry took part in the Distributive Education program at Austin Senior High School here in Houston, attending classes half days and beauty college half days.  She passed her State Board and received her beauty license when she was age sixteen, and worked 45+ years as a hairdresser.

Sherry worked at “Hair Tamers” in Alvin, which was a unisex salon/barber shop combined.  She did housewives’ hair mostly, along with men’s, and even cut Nolan Ryan’s hair!