Heidi Rowley (Team Member)

My grandmother, Margaret, who passed away about 10 years ago, worked here at Franke Tobey Jones for 32 years, starting sometime in the 1970’s. She worked in the old Healthcare Center as a housekeeper.  My grandmother ended up staying on even after she thought she should retire because she just she liked it.  She wanted to keep working and she loved all the people, so she kept working until she was 82.  She just she loved FTJ so much and it kept her going!

My mother, Sheila, worked here as a housekeeper for about two years, and it was so nice having all the family together.  I got to see everybody:  my grandmother, my mom and the residents.

I started working at FTJ in 1998 when I was 19. I’ve never worked in any other kitchen, just up here in LP, for the past 25 years.

My daughter, Zoe, started two years ago when she turned 16.  Now, she works in the kitchen with me.

I remember coming here as a little kid.  My grandmother would show me around to meet all the residents and I really enjoyed it. I got to know the place early on.  She was bringing me here with my sister for as long as I can remember.  We would visit all the residents and participate in the activities and things like that, so it was fun.

There have been so many changes on the campus since I started here in 1998.  In food service, the biggest change in the Healthcare Center was that we changed from delivering room trays to serving meals in the actual dining room.  That provided the residents with a better experience, more like eating in a restaurant and not in a nursing home.

I remember a resident named Max who lived here a long time.  He originally lived in the Duplexes but moved to Lillian Pratt with his wife.  He was so nice and so smart and he would talk to me for a long time about all kinds of subjects. He had been successful in the military and I really thought, “Wow, his life was amazing!” I was really sad when he died because I really looked up to him.

I remember another resident who had odd little quirks about her.  She would always joke around, but she was serious about one thing:  she liked burnt toast, almost burnt to the point of charcoal! I can still hear her voice asking me for that.

One of my favorite activities over the years was the children’s Christmas parties.  They were just so much fun! The kids loved it, and it was so nice of FTJ to host them, bringing Santa Claus in to give the kids presents.  I think we held the Christmas parties for over 20 years until COVID came along.  I’d love to see that start again—it was really cool.

I wish we could provide an easier transition for when residents move from one building to the next.  It’s really hard for them, so before they end up moving, it would be great if we could talk to them and introduce them to the staff and other residents.  That way, it’s not scary and nobody would think, “Oh, I’m in here and I don’t know anybody right now.”  New residents could even participate in some activities before they move in, and that way it’s a gradual transition. You could get to know everybody before you moved.

Here at FTJ, we have a family-like environment.  You get to know the residents and you become close to them. You get to know their family and that’s what I always liked about it. Everybody is close. It was nice having all my family here, too, and getting to know everybody and being able to talk to them about everyone that we knew.   It was just a family like environment—and it still is. (As told to Claire Griffin)

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