Bonaventure Senior Living spotlights veteran residents across Oregon and Washington

Bonaventure Senior Living is marking Veterans Day by highlighting six residents who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and National Guard across four communities in Oregon and Washington. Their stories span post-World War II service, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the Oklahoma City bombing response.

Why it matters: - Bonaventure Senior Living is using Veterans Day to recognize residents whose military service shaped lives across multiple generations and branches. - The stories also show the range of experience among older adults in Bonaventure communities, from postwar Navy service to Cold War deployments and Vietnam-era combat. - The recognition gives each community a visible way to honor veterans and connect residents, families and staff.

What happened: - Bonaventure Senior Living is honoring veterans living in its communities across Oregon and Washington. - Six residents from four communities in Salem, Keizer, Lake Oswego and Lacey shared their service stories. - Those residents served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and National Guard. - Their service stretched from the years after World War II into the 1990s. - Their experiences included Alaska winters, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. - Chloe Gray, sales and marketing director for Bonaventure Senior Living, said Veterans Day is the company’s chance to listen to residents’ stories and thank them.

The details: - Carol Bova-Rice, a resident of Bonaventure of Salem, served 12 years in Germany and eight years in Texas in the Air Force medical logistics field. - Bova-Rice retired as a superintendent and senior master sergeant, E-8. - In Germany, Bova-Rice helped build a 750-bed contingency hospital in Donaueschingen that was never activated. - Bova-Rice was at Tinker Air Force Base on April 19, 1995, when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in Oklahoma City. - Bova-Rice used sign language to help survivors and gathered ponchos and supplies for workers at the scene. - Bova-Rice has lived at Bonaventure of Salem for seven years and helps plan the community’s Veterans Day recognition each year. - On Nov. 10, Bova-Rice led a flag ceremony with a Junior ROTC color guard, and each veteran in the community received a certificate. - Larry Wasson served in the Army during the Vietnam era as a specialist 4th class and drove for his commanding officer. - Wasson was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, from 1965 to 1967 and experienced temperatures as low as 64 below zero. - Daryl Chappel served four years in the Marine Corps and 20 years in the Army, including as a platoon sergeant in the Vietnam War. - Chappel’s decorations include two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. - Chappel said military service helped him communicate with people. - Chappel remains active with the VFW and the American Legion. - Alan Takayama served in both the Army and the Navy during the Cold War and rose to E-9 as a sergeant major in charge of storekeepers. - Takayama served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the late 1980s during operations to protect oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. - Ed Thompson, 96, volunteered for the Navy after World War II and served as a petty officer leading a squad of sailors in the Pacific. - Thompson served in Hawaii and Japan before returning home to farming, family and community life. - Thompson has kept photographs from his service and a star medallion tied to his leadership. - Thompson has lived at Oswego Place by Bonaventure for two years. - Bob Gates served three years in the Army and two and a half years in the National Guard. - Gates trained at Fort Carson and later served at Fort Lewis as a private first class and company armorer. - Gates built a long career as a chef, mostly at Seattle’s Andy’s Diner. - Gates said cooking dinner for John Wayne was one of his proudest moments. - Gates played Santa Claus for 23 years and said his best memory was bringing joy to children. - Gates remains active in the American Legion and the Masonic lodge in Cinebar. - Gates sells popcorn each year to raise scholarship money for high school seniors. - In 2025, Gates flew over Thurston County in a restored World War II-era open-cockpit biplane through the nonprofit Dream Flights. - Bonaventure of Salem is at 3411 Boone Road SE in Salem. - Bonaventure at Keizer Station is at 5525 McLeod Lane NE in Keizer. - Oswego Place by Bonaventure is at 17450 Pilkington Road in Lake Oswego. - Bonaventure of Lacey is at 4528 Intelco Loop SE in Lacey. - Each community offers retirement living, assisted living and memory care. - Bonaventure Senior Living is a Pacific Northwest-founded, family-owned provider of retirement, assisted living and memory care communities in Oregon and Washington. - Bonaventure says its mission is rooted in quality of life and personalized care plans tailored to each resident’s needs, interests and goals. - The company says its communities are designed to foster meaningful connections, independence and well-being. - More information is available on the company's website.

Between the lines: - The veteran profiles function as both a holiday tribute and a broader brand story about resident life inside Bonaventure communities. - The mix of service eras and branches gives the company a way to showcase depth and continuity across its senior living network. - The personal details, especially the Oklahoma City bombing response and the Alaska winter assignment, make the tribute feel concrete rather than ceremonial.

What's next: - Bonaventure communities are likely to continue Veterans Day recognitions each year, based on the Salem community’s long-running ceremony. - The company will keep using resident stories to highlight life inside its Oregon and Washington communities. - Veterans living in Bonaventure communities may continue participating in local ceremonies, service organizations and community events.