The first campus administrator of MapleCreek, Henry Roesler, has died of cancer, passing away Tuesday evening, Nov. 1, 2011, at age 84. He is survived by his wife Velma and their two daughters, five sons and 14 grandchildren. Henry Roesler was a man of vision and a born leader. If not for him, there likely would be no MapleCreek today.
In the 1970s, while he was serving as the administrator of Luther Home, LSSM's nursing facility in downtown Grand Rapids, he came upon property for sale in the southeast part of the city with a fairly new senior independent living apartment building on it. Roesler convinced the leadership of Lutheran Social Services of Michigan that this was an investment in the future, and the purchase was made in December 1976 and named Luther Village. Roesler was made the administrator.
He knew there was potential for growth and development into a full continuum of care senior living community. In 1986 he oversaw the building of the new Luther Home next door to Luther Village, and when it was ready the residents and staff made the move and left downtown site, which was then closed. Roesler's vision for expansion continued on after Steve Kauffman became the executive director in 1990. In 1996, Luther Woods was added to the campus and offered assisted living, and more recently transitioned to care for early and mid-stage dementia.
In June 2007, Henry and Velma Roesler were in attendance (SEE PHOTO) and Henry provided the benediction for the groundbreaking ceremony of MapleCreek's two-year, $32 million renovation and expansion project, accomplished under then executive director Susan Lemon. When the senior living community was rebranded earlier that year as MapleCreek, Luther Village became The Terraces catered indendent living apartments, Luther Home became The Lodge skilled nursing and rehabilitation, Luther Woods became The Woods memory care. The project added the new condo-style independent living homes called The Cottages at the south end of the campus.
Henry Roesler was always looking for new ways to serve seniors. He was a force behind the development of affordable senior housing in his area, and served on the board for the creation and operation of SHAWL I (Whitehall) and SHAWL II (Montague) for the Senior Housing Authority of White Lake. He took an interest in and helped to develop other LSSM projects around the state. Henry was also the former Montague police chief, and was the current 10-term Mayor of Montague.
Jay Gilbert, who heads up the affordable senior housing division for Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, wrote, "Just recently, Henry introduced himself to the LSSM leadership at the 2011 Fall Cabinet Retreat in White Lake. He exemplified the true spirit of community, public and social service to his fellow man and woman and the greater Lutheran organization." And one other note about Henry: he made a handlebar moustache look good.
A story in the Muskegon Chronicle about this man of faith and servant of the people can be read here: http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/11/montague_mayor_henry_roesler_l.html
His obituary, with Thursday-Friday Nov. 3-4 visitation and Saturday Nov. 5 memorial service times, can be seen here: http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/muskegon/obituary.aspx?n=henry-roesler&pid=154446246
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