Meet Our Donors: Pat Winton Remembers Wife, Elaine, and Honors Her Caregivers

“We did everything together. She was my first mate,” says Pat Winton of his wife, Elaine, who passed away in February 2024 after living with frontotemporal dementia for seven years. Pat’s great appreciation for the care Elaine received at Chelsea Retirement Community’s Towsley Village Memory Care Center has led him to make a pledge to support the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation’s Team Member Support Services fund. This fund provides resources for team member Scholarships and Emergency Aid. After Elaine’s passing, he knew this was something he wanted to support.

“Elaine was so well cared for in the Fall Neighborhood [at Towsley Village],” Pat shares. “Renae Tomshany and so many others took such good care of her. At the end, if Renae was working in another neighborhood, she would still come and check on Elaine.”

Pat and Elaine were married for 62 years. They met in Flint, MI while Pat was a student at General Motors Institute (now Kettering) where he earned his degree in mechanical engineering. He later received his master’s degree from Wayne State University. Pat’s career began at GM, then led him to management, and finally as president and co-owner of Globe Tool and Engineering Co. in Dayton, Ohio. Their three children also work in the engineering field.

Pat and Elaine loved to travel, often as part of Pat’s work which took him to many parts of the world. As Pat neared retirement age, he started a new career with his U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton captain’s license. He and Elaine would spend weeks each summer cruising the Great Lakes where they logged thousands of hours on their boat, the Eleana, named for Elaine and their daughter, Deanna. They also sailed boats from boat building companies to deliver them to their buyers.

A resident of Brio’s The Cedars of Dexter since 2019, Pat enjoys his independence there, yet it was close enough to CRC that he could be with Elaine each day. Pat is involved with the Cedars Chips writing group, started by a former Cedars resident, Paul Schubert. As a result, Pat has written a book, Farmed Out in Ontonagon County, which tells of his difficult childhood.

“I hope my story of overcoming adversity will help someone realize that they can persevere and be successful overcoming problems in their own life.”

Learn more about the communities that make Brio Living Services so special, or visit the UMRC-Porter Hills Foundation to find out how your support can make a big difference in the lives of older adults and our team members.