For the Baumgartner family, Cedar Community has been part of their story for decades.
What began with Ralph and Ruth Baumgartner planning ahead for their future eventually became a lasting family connection spanning independent living, memory care, skilled nursing, volunteering, and even a longtime business relationship.
Today, the next generation is preparing to continue that connection.
Planning Ahead for the Future
When Ralph Baumgartner first toured Cedar Community nearly two decades ago, he was thinking ahead.
His wife, Ruth, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and Ralph knew there could come a time when he would no longer be able to care for her on his own.
He wanted a plan that would provide both of them with the support they might need.
Ralph and Ruth joined the waitlist for an independent living Village Home on the Cedar Lake Campus. After three years on the waitlist, a home became available, and they moved to Cedar Community together in 1995.
Ruth lived with Ralph in their Village Home for about a year and a half before transitioning to memory care.
Finding Home at Cedar Community
Ralph continued living in the Village Home for the next 20 years.
He spent his time tending his garden, feeding the birds and deer, and enjoying the wildlife outside his kitchen window.
“There was nothing he loved more than looking out and seeing the animals,” says his grandson, Pat. “He just lit up out here. It was his happy place, and he loved it more than anything.”
After Ruth passed away, Ralph continued making the most of life at Cedar Community.
He volunteered regularly, including driving the pontoon boat and taking residents on scenic rides around Big Cedar Lake.
He was also well known within the family for his buttermilk pancakes, which are still affectionately called “Grandpa’s pancakes.”
Support as Needs Changed
When Ralph eventually needed more support, he moved into skilled nursing care in 2015.
He lived there for nearly four more years.
For Pat, the care his grandfather received left a lasting impression.
“Cedar Community team members are passionate about what they do, and that touches many lives every day,” he says.
Ralph’s experience reflects one of the reasons he and Ruth planned ahead in the first place: the ability to access additional support while remaining connected to the community they had chosen as home.
A Personal Connection Becomes a Professional One
Ralph’s years at Cedar Community also created an unexpected connection for Pat.
At the time, Pat worked for his family’s business, Steiner Appliances.
During one visit with his grandfather, Pat began talking with a Cedar Community team member about the family business. That conversation eventually led to a partnership, and Pat began supplying appliances to Cedar Community.
Even after the family sold Steiner Appliances, Pat continued working with Cedar Community through the new owners’ business-to-business division.
Today, he still serves Cedar Community through another company based in Germantown.
“Every time I walk onto campus, I think about my grandpa,” Pat says. “He loved this place, and because of that, I’ve always worked extra hard to serve Cedar Community well. It’s very personal to me.”
The Next Generation Plans Ahead
The Baumgartner family’s connection to Cedar Community is continuing.
Pat’s Uncle Steve and his mother, Cindy, are both on the waitlist for independent living Village Homes at Cedar Lake.
“Our dad taught us to plan ahead,” Cindy says. “I want to be here because I love it, and because it makes things easier for my kids, who won’t have to worry about me.”
That decision reflects something Ralph modeled decades earlier: making plans before a need becomes urgent and choosing a community based on the life you want to continue living.
A Family Legacy at Cedar Community
For the Baumgartner family, Cedar Community has become part of their family history.
Ralph and Ruth found a home and support through different chapters of their lives. Pat developed a professional relationship with the community because of the connection his grandfather created. And now Steve and Cindy are preparing for their own chapters at Cedar Community.
“It all started with Grandpa,” Pat says. “He was the glue in our family, and this community gave him dignity, joy, and a home filled with meaning. And that’s something we’ll always be grateful for.”Originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Live More magazine.
