APRIL 2018 Congrats to Sunset Home s 2018 CNA's of the Year! Jennifer, Evie & Opal! We look forward to the JWCC Health Science Department annual luncheon honoring all our community health care agencies CNA's. Elmer Sparrow Dolores Seliner Shirley Lepper Iren Palmer Jo White Virginia Tobin Nettie Huffman Antonia Schuster 1 st 9 th 10 th 12 th 13 th 14 th 15 th 16 th
13TH ANNUAL SPAGHETTI SUPPER!!
Thank You to the Quincy Herald Whig for doing this beautiful Story on John and Elsie Hayes!! By Matt Dutton Herald-Whig Posted: Mar. 19, 2018 8:55 am Elsie and John Hayes hold hands as they watch a presentation at Sunset Home. Elsie was a 32-year-old divorcee with two young girls when she met John, a divorced World War II veteran on a blind date. They've been married for 53 years. H-W Photo/Phil QUINCY -- Elsie was a 32-year-old divorcee with two young girls when she met John Hayes, a divorced World War II veteran, on a blind date at a no-longer standing corner tavern. Set-up by Elsie's sister and John's brother, the pair instantly clicked. From that night in the early 1960s, Elsie only remembers playing shuffleboard and how much she enjoyed John's company. They married less than two years later, on May 22, 1965, 12 days after John's 38th birthday, in a Methodist church that has also since been demolished. Although they have shifted their residency to Sunset Home, little else has changed for the couple during their 53 years together. "He is just so kind and so caring," Elsie said while holding her husband's hand. "We've never had an argument." Their rooms are adjoining, connected by a bathroom, and side-by-side recliners in John's room give them a place to relax during the day. To the left of Elsie's chair are her beads -- a hobby she picked up after arriving at Sunset Home in 2012 -- which she uses to craft the bracelets and necklaces she freely gives to anyone interested. To her right is John's chair. John had been out of the Army for about 15 years when he met Elsie. John doesn't talk much, but when the topic shifts to his war experiences, he perks up. He gladly tells of German infantrymen trying to lure his troop out of hiding by speaking English and offering cigarettes. Shortly after he was drafted at 19, John participated in the invasion of Normandy.
They tried to kill me, but I'm still here," he said. His bars, ribbons and four medals -- including the Purple Heart he received after shrapnel tore across his back while he has stationed in northern France -- hang from his wall in a decorative case along with a photo taken shortly before he returned to America. He had been approached by a little French girl on a bicycle, who escorted him to a church where a priest was taking pictures of American soldiers. "I was only 23 at the time," John said pointing to the uniformed image of him, which bears the faintest smile. John delivered furniture and Elsie worked for Motorola when they met. He moved into the home she had purchased. Her mother and father lived upstairs, and she lived downstairs with her daughters. Elsie's first husband had been abusive, and John stepped in as a father-figure. "I always tell people I want to be really good to him, because he was always so good to me," Elsie said. Elsie retired soon after they married. When John was laid off from the furniture store, they were stretched thin. Elsie found work at Sunset Home, where she worked for about a dozen years. Before long, another furniture store in Quincy learned John wasn't working. "They came right out to the house and offered him a job," Elsie said. "Everybody knows John." After the girls moved out of the house, and they had both retired, they downsized to an apartment. Elsie fell at the apartment in January 2014 and broke her hip. She moved into Sunset Home while recovering from hip surgery, and John moved in with her. Elsie is 84. John is 92. Most at the home agree they still seem to be hopelessly in love. They are always together, and John is always sporting his World War II Veteran cap -- a gift from his late brother-in-law. "I have to be close to him all the time," Elsie said. "I love being close to him."
Dietary Department Getting to know Tim Dennis Hello my name is Tim Dennis and I have worked at Sunset Home in the Dietary Department for 37 years. I am a graduate of Quincy Senior High School and I also attended Quincy Tech studying welding. I am a long time member of the Vermont Street United Methodist Church. I enjoy square dancing in Lewistown Mo and at the Senior Center in Quincy. I have been square dancing for over 30 years. Some of my other hobbies include bowling, air hockey, water skiing, and attending car shows. Thanks, Tim Dennis
FROM PASTOR DIXIE S DESK (Chaplain of Spiritual Life) Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 No fooling, April 1 we celebrate the joy of the empty tomb, the risen Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Once again we are humbled to know that God loved us so much that Jesus suffered and died that we might be offered forgiveness, grace and the gift of salvation. It is in that gift that we have the promise of new life. What a great joy! What an tremendous gift! No greater sacrifice and no greater gift has ever been given.as we begin this new month which unfolds with this glorious gift of new life, we look around us as God is bringing forth new life in all of creation. April is the month when the grass turns green, the trees that have been sleeping begin to spring forth with leaves of new life, flowers begin to bloom, birds sing the sweet song of joy and our fields are tilled and planted to begin a new season of growing. All around us there are the actions of new life. What a tremendously marvelous God who takes the darkness and cold of winter and brings forth life and awakens it to newness. May we see the glorious hope all around us as we enjoy the beauty of spring and the joy of Easter. I encourage you to look for the signs of God s presence as God offers us new life and new hope each day not only in creation but also in our personal lives. Blessed Easter and Spring to all, Rev. Dixie Croxton Chaplain of Spiritual Life
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