Angels among us

Angels among us

Methow Valley Guardian Angels provide care and support for the elderly

Two years ago Jerry and Lillis Young, then both in their mid-80s, packed up their lives in California, drove to the Methow Valley, moved into a rental house, and quietly began the next chapter of their lives in a place they had only visited once and where they knew hardly a soul.

“We were called to move here,” says Jerry, one finger pointing upwards. “God told me to move to this place hidden away from the world. It’s a sort of Promised Land.”

But with limited financial resources, some health issues, the inevitable trials of old age, and no adult children in the vicinity, the Youngs found themselves in need of more than just the hope of milk and honey. It was fitting, then, that assistance came in the form of an angel — that is, a guardian angel from the Methow Valley Guardian Angels (MVGA) program.

Formed by Glenn Schmekel in 2002 as an extension of the Methow Valley’s food bank, The Cove, the MVGA seeks to “improve the care and support of the elderly and persons with chronic illnesses or disabilities in our community, through personal contact by a special friend — a guardian angel.”

The MVGA “matches volunteers to those people in our community who want to remain in their home, but are at risk of becoming socially or physically isolated.” Guardian angels nurture a caring relationship with a client and may help with things like transportation, errands, and shopping. The main purpose of the connection, however, is companionship.

When MVGA administrator Eunice Marchbank reached out to Winthrop resident Karen Evans soliciting help for the Youngs, Karen was quick to answer that call. “I like to help people,” says Karen of her motivation to volunteer with MVGA. She adds, “And I just can’t sit still.” No surprise, since she was a physical education teacher for 30 years, and at age 75 still volunteers at the public school.

Developing relationship

Karen’s relationship with the Youngs began with driving Jerry to medical appointments in Omak and Wenatchee, but soon developed into something more substantial: shopping trips, weekly visits, lunches out, trips to the Methow Valley Senior Center in Twisp. “I care about them,” Karen says simply.

About their relationship with Karen, the Youngs mince no words. “She deserves a halo,” says Jerry, adding that when he first met Karen, he liked her immediately. “I told her, ‘I would love for you to be my guardian angel.’“

With all this talk of angels, one might imagine the MVGA to be a faith-based organization. Although its inception as a Faith in Action program is a nod to its faith-based roots, there is no formal focus or expectation that religion plays a role in the services offered. Karen is not particularly religious, but a relationship with God is the defining element of both Jerry and Lillis’s characters.

But “religion doesn’t matter,” says Jerry, who is a retired Baptist minister and former practicing Pentecostal. “Karen is a good person, she really is. It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t go to church.”

He adds, “People who let their religious principles dictate who they associate with, they miss out on things.”

Jerry was raised in Los Angeles, California, graduated from Life Bible College in 1950, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1952, eventually being posted as a chaplain service specialist at the former Harlingen Air Force Base in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. After marrying Lillis in 1957 (and again in 2000, after being divorced from her for 12 years — but that’s another story), Jerry worked as a public school teacher in Modesto, California.

California background

California looms large in the Youngs’ background. They were both born and brought up there, raised their own two daughters there, and lived comfortably in Clearlake, California, until God called them to abandon all that was familiar and move to the Methow Valley.

The call came in the form of what Lillis calls “written prophecy.” About a decade ago, Jerry says, “I knew I should start writing daily. So I began writing prophetically, speaking with God and writing down what he tells me.” Those writings now fill 29 spiral-bound notebooks.

Jerry conducts his personal communication with God in the wee hours (“between midnight and 3 a.m.,” he says), but also enjoys more conventional hours of spirituality through weekly attendance at Friendship Alliance Church in Winthrop. It is through the church that the Youngs were able to identify resources that would help them continue to live independently in the Methow Valley: MVGA, Room One’s Lookout Coalition, and hospice services. “We’ve been lucky,” Jerry says. “Programs here have helped out with different things.”

Hospice entered the Youngs’ lives in 2017, when Jerry was in Brewster, “waiting to die.” He had been given 4 to 6 months to live.

Remarkably, he didn’t die, and moved back home, where he has been ever since. Hospice provided temporary housekeeping assistance, but the final hospice visit occurred in late July. The equation is simple but painful: Jerry’s death is not imminent, so his veteran’s health care no longer covers hospice services.

But at 88 and 87, the Youngs are increasingly uncomfortable with some of the activities required for independent Methow living: shoveling walkways, driving, maintaining their household. Whether she was sent from God or from her own innate sense of compassion for humanity, Karen Evans truly has been a godsend for the Youngs. Still, she knows that down the line what she and MVGA can offer will not be enough. “And then what?” she thinks aloud.

For now, however, Jerry is not concerned. “I leave it to the man upstairs,” he says, pointing upwards again. “The Lord will open the door.”

Lots of services

For a tiny community, the Methow Valley seems rife with social services. Indeed, Karen points out that “This area has more going on for seniors than many other places.” Room One offers health, aging, food, and other support services. The Cove provides food, as well as a place to honor and respect others at difficult times in life. MVGA offers support for elderly and ill clients. The Lookout Coalition serves clients through medical house calls. Methow At Home is a membership-based community that connects volunteers with members in need of various services, including driving, yard work and housekeeping. The Senior Center, churches and civic groups offer various forms of assistance. And the neighborly ethic is quite robust in the valley.

Still, the Methow Valley is a difficult place to live independently once age and health take their tolls. The MVGA program seeks to alleviate some of the stress associated with being elderly and infirm and supports residents in maintaining independent living.

But volunteering as an angel is not a one-way street, says Karen. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of this. I want to do this for other people.”And, Karen says, illuminating the motivation that fuels altruistic work like that of the Methow Valley Guardian Angles, “I care about people. I want to help make their lives better.”

Methow Valley Guardian Angels participate in orientations and trainings and submit to a background check before being matched with clients. Both client and volunteer needs and interests are taken into consideration when matches are being made. If you know of someone who has need of the services of MVGA, or if you would like to volunteer for MVGA, contact Eunice Marchbank for more information at (509) 996- 2569 or emarchbank@methownet. com; or visit www.thecovecares. com. ◆

Karen Evans (right) and Lillis Young have become fast friends. Photo byAshley Lodato