By Stephen Smoot
Despite the bitter cold temperatures that settled in and around the region, nothing that Mother Nature could conjure up would have made a dent in the utter warmth and good cheer that permeated Pendleton Manor’s new dining hall last Wednesday.
There, staff, residents, community members, and the Pendleton Manor extended family all gathered to celebrate 50 years of service to families in the county and beyond. Those arriving to the presentation and dinner were greeted by the sights and sounds of true celebration. A table of blue frosted cupcakes and goodies awaited consumption after dinner, but were set near the front door.
The voice of Carolyn Simmons and her back up band of Gene McConnell, John Simmons, and Ray Lambert provided bluegrass, old-timey country, and gospel styles of music for all to enjoy as they took their seats and waited for the presentation. That assemblage comes often to Pendleton Manor to entertain the residents.
Pendleton Manor’s history dates back beyond 50 years, because before it was a care facility, it was a dream and a vision of concerned citizens in the county. According to the facility’s official history, Jessie Eye of Deer Run had the initial idea to have a nursing home in Pendleton. She had gone above and beyond in caring compassionately for four family members. This included her mother who had suffered a stroke and needed 24-hour a day care.
Also, this was the 1950s and 60s, a time before close scrutiny and supervision of such facilities was mandated. Families had reason to worry about taking loved ones far afield to find round the clock care.
According to her daughter, the late Elaine Craig, Eye said, “I never want any of my family to go through what I have in the past several years. If we had a nursing home in Pendleton County I could visit or even work regular hours and still have some rest during the remaining time, knowing my loved one is being cared for.”
Undoubtedly, many other families in the county were also stretched to their resource and energy limits trying to do the same. A group of citizens formed to work on the vision and create a reality.
- J. Kropp took to the podium first to welcome all. In true Christian fashion, he opened with praise of those who helped to make the day happen. That included board members and officers, Lantz Construction, Pendleton Community Bank, Rexrode Construction, Mountain Air, Kelson Thorne, and others. He specifically thanked the medical director, Dr. Carmen Rexrode, for sharing her unique connection to the facility’s opening. Rexrode performed with the Franklin High Schol band at the opening ceremony. Kropp said, “Thank you Dr. Rexrode for your years of service.”
Thorne received special thanks for the mural that he produced special for the dining hall. The main buffet tables piled high with food cooked and served by the staff of Fisher Mountain stood before it. Entitled “Jesus Feeding the Multitude,” it grafts the spirit of the verses of Matthew 14: 17-21 onto an image of Christ breaking bread for the hungry.
Kropp stated that the mural to him represented “God’s guiding light, directing us in our daily work.” This, the motto of the facility, and more illustrate the underpinnings of the mission of Pendleton Manor, to infuse Christian faith and charity into everything they do. After all, the influence of Jesus Christ has permeated the facility and its staff since the beginning.
Though the Lutheran church was founded on “faith alone saves,” the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society was instrumental in making sure the facility existed in the first place. Those trying to establish the home learned of “Good Sam’s” (as it is often affectionately called) work in providing administrative support to nursing homes in the Midwest from their bases in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
As Paula Mitchell described in her part of the presentation, the founder of Good Sam, Rev. August Hoeger, dispatched his son, Rev. John, to listen to the Pendleton proposal. Committee members sold him, which was half the battle. The rest was won with hard work in raising money from a community that has never been impoverished, but also never called inordinately wealthy.
Bonds, loans, grants, and other sources poured money in. By April of 1974, the 60-bed facility with eight original residents opened with a groundbreaking ceremony. United States Senator Jennings Randolph came to give the keynote address. Capacity was reached by September of 1975 as word of the high quality, reasonably priced facility spread.
Kropp expressed appreciation and respect for his current staff, who helped him to navigate through and overcome the challenges of losing the partnership with Good Sam. The organization never owned the facility, but paid the staff, took care of the paperwork, and provided office equipment – all of which went away starting in 2023.
Now Pendleton Manor stands completely independent and locally directed, which is a rarity for a rural nursing home after the negative changes hitting health care in the past two decades.
Mitchell spoke of her parents’, Reverend Paul and Carrie Schultz, love, devotion, and hard work in service to Pendleton Manor. Her father served as the second chief administrator and his stamp remains in place. She described him as “a good steward” who “walked the halls daily and made it his mission to speak to each resident every day.” Additionally, he established high standards of quality care by paying attention to the details. Specifically, he believed that their residents deserved to live in the freshest and cleanest environment possible and ordered more frequent changes of cleaning water and supplies than most other facilities might. To this day, Pendleton Manor regularly meets or exceeds the high standards set early on.
Pastor Mike Lambert provided a short, but poignant, devotion. He told of his grandmother’s time at Pendleton Manor and how she did not invite him to their Sunday church service until his fourth seventh day visit to her. When he accepted her invitation to join her, he said of his experience, “I stood there in absolute awe.”
Lambert described how the congregation filled the front seats first. He remarked “that doesn’t normally happen in church.” He then described what he saw, heard, and, most importantly, felt when the time came to sing hymns. He recalled that about half of those present hit every note, sang every word, and performed as well as any church choir anywhere. Although the rest missed some words, missed some notes, or just followed along as best they could, he remembered that he was struck by their “praise for God, the love they have for Jesus,”
He shared, “It is honest, open-hearted praise.” He said that in that moment that he prayed that he could someday “be a part of this,” and was eventually invited to serve as pastor. Kropp stated that he was always impressed by Lambert’s sheer joy of participating in services at the facility.
During the past decade, significant changes and renovations have benefited the residents and staff of Pendleton Manor, almost all work performed by the three contractors named by Kropp. It expanded capacity, allowed for better delivery of services, and provided even more comfortable and beautiful spaces for residents to enjoy.
At the end of the program, attendees ranging from excited and smiling young children to residents and family in their 90s, made their way to the buffet to enjoy first the choice of dinner style food, then the delicious cupcakes.
All enjoyed and appreciated the memories and tradition of compassionate service throughout five decades – and all expect that these will continue for at least another 50 years at Pendleton Manor.