12/11/2025
Meet Charles, one of our cherished residents. We wanted to interview Charles to learn what he has experienced and learned in his life. Charles is from Oswego, Indiana. He grew up learning to sew and make his own clothes. He was taught by his mother; this is how he developed his button collection. He later sold buttons and related materials at flea markets. He reported that he didn’t make much money doing this, but he liked it because he was able to meet people. He served as a maintenance technician/air-ground support in the air force from 1964 to 1968. He was stationed in Michigan. Serving in the air force is something that he holds very dear.
1. What did you do for a living when you were younger? What advice would you give to young people who are trying to decide on what to do with their life?
Charles: “I was a messenger driver. I drove my own van and hauled anything from envelopes to big boxes of plywood. Anything that would fit in my van. I liked doing it; you never knew where you were going to go or what you were going to do that day. It was fun. I am a people person. I like meeting new people.”
Nurse: “What have you learned about how to treat other people? How did you get along so well with others?”
Charles: “Take people who are not particularly nice with a grain of salt. Don’t bother arguing with them. It is not worth the wasted time. Ignore them if you can because you don’t know what’s going on with their day. Stay out of their business, let them handle their business how they want, and keep trucking.”
2. “Were you married? What advice would you give to married couples or anyone who spends a lot of time with one specific person?”
Charles: “I was married. Try to be cohesive and compromise. If they want to watch something special on tv and you don’t want to, just watch it. Go with the flow. Don’t argue over small things, even money.”
Nurse: “Is money as important as other things like happiness or time in your opinion?”
Charles: “You have to be able to take care of yourself. But no, it is not. It’s important to be happy and have some sort of outlet for your stress. I used to count my buttons and look at my collection when I got upset about something.”
3. What is your golden rule?
Charles: “Be kind to everyone, then you have no bad feelings with anyone. Don’t do anything off-collar.”
4. If you could do anything differently in your life, what would you change?
Charles: “I wish I would have went and got more college education than I did. I have an associates degree in transportation, but I would have liked to go for more.”
5. Are you a cat person, a dog person, or neither?
Charles: “Cat person. I had dogs growing up. I like cats more because you don’t have to walk them during the cold winter. I had a black and white cat named Sam. I had him for 10 years; he was my companion. He was always wanting to be petted and loved.”
