Bainbridge Senior Living founder passes away at 85
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Bainbridge Senior Living founder Don Roose passed away May 28 at the age of 85 due to complications of multiple myeloma. His legacy of helping thousands of elderly folks on Bainbridge Island continues with the work of his daughter, Morgan Rohrbach, who has been CEO of BSL since 2013.
The story of BSL began in 1991, with Roose’s mother-in-law, Maggie, who wanted to continue living on Bainbridge Island but desired a downsize. Shortly after, Roose opened the doors of Madison House, located in downtown Winslow. The family business has since grown to three other locations, including Winslow Manor, Wyatt House and Madrona House.
Before starting BSL, Roose was in the hospitality industry for 20 years, as CEO of Winchell’s Donuts, managing Patricia Murphy’s in New York City and Florida, and working closely with French Company Cafe Casino in both Los Angeles and France. A quieter life was calling Roose and his family’s name, and he, his wife, and children, who were at the time in fifth and eighth grade, moved to Bainbridge Island.
“He had a reason to build something,” said Rohrbach. “He knew how to put a deal together, and he had the charisma to do that, plus he knew how to find the right people to put that deal together. The Madison House was put together by my dad, the architect Tom Johnson and the builder Rick Skelton.”
For the past 18 years, Rohrbach has been working alongside her father and shared that she is currently emphasizing greening BSL communities over time, meaning the addition of solar panels and slowly moving to all-electric vehicles for their fleet.
As she looks ahead, it is important for Rohrbach to keep up with smart technology as well, making sure that any Artificial Intelligence innovations create a space where staff can spend more time with residents and less time behind a computer screen. “We are working smarter, not harder, and keeping the human connection at the forefront of what we do,” she said. “We are just starting to see the baby boomers move in (the front of the silver tsunami). It is a priority to adapt and adjust so that we meet the needs of a changing generation. We now have more concierge drivers, electric vehicles, outings and we want to remain in touch with who our clientele is and how to best enrich their later years.”
During his recent illness, Roose spent time at The Wyatt House. Being able to enjoy the fruits of his labor and experience his vision come to life was nothing short of rewarding, Rohrbach shared. “In a way, I thought it was really sweet that my dad was able to enjoy the Wyatt House as a customer would before he passed. He was proud of the work we did.”
Roose was known first and foremost as a keen businessman, always running a tight ship and not being wasteful in any work he did, balancing high-quality care and service with a family-friendly atmosphere, Rohrbach shared.
“Our communities are unique because they are family-owned and operated,” said Rohrbach. “For us, this means that we are taking care of our neighbors’ parents, aunts and uncles. We now have the second generation of folks moving in. People whose moms lived with us in the 90’s are happy to come back to a place that felt warm and welcoming the first time around. Quality is important because we hear about it; if we don’t do it right, the community keeps you in check. We value feedback and listen to our resident council on things that they would like to see changed, improved or adapted.”
