Commun ty Matters Sterling Presbyterian Manor
COMING UP IN COMMUNITY MATTERS:
March Reflections: Family heritage and memorable names
March 2017
By Donna Grizzle, Activity Director
“Education is the best provision for old age.” – Aristotle, Greek philosopher
Staying FIT?
Everyone knows fitness is important. How have you taken steps to be fit? What’s your regular fitness routine? If you’ve started a fitness routine late in life, what advice would you have for others? How do you think you benefit from regular exercise? If you’ve got a story to share, contact Cindy Moore and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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The month of March is filled with many fascinating theme days to celebrate! The most commonly known special days and times are St. Patrick’s Day, Lent, Daylight Savings Time, the first day of spring, and of course March Madness. This year, Sterling Presbyterian Manor is also celebrating heritage, dominoes, names, mysteries and fairy tales. March is Greek and Irish heritage month. Unfortunately, no one at Sterling Presbyterian Manor seems to have Greek heritage. Jessie Marguerite Mahoney said her family is of Irish heritage, although she does not remember any special traditions that were passed down.
Five residents can identify a German heritage. Joan Deffenbaugh Staton Reflections continued on page 2
Jessie Marguerite Mahoney is of Irish heritage, just as her name sounds.
Reflections continued from page 1
says that she grew up in a very strict German family household. “I remember that the ladies and us kids would always eat last. The men got to eat first and we would sit and watch them. Then they would leave and whatever was left, which sometimes wasn’t very much, would be for us,” Joan said. She also said that her dad was known for giving licks. “He would sit there with his long, leather razor blade strap hanging from the end of the table. We kids had to behave or when he got done eating
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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Sterling Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of
501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Mike Rajewski, executive director Cindy Moore, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact cmoore@pmma.org. Telephone: 620-278-3651 Fax: 620-278-3581 Address: 204 W. Washington, Sterling, KS 67579-1614 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. SterlingPresbyterianManor.org
2 COMMUNITY MATTERS MARCH 2017
Eleanor Sarita Nearhood Mark comes from Dutch heritage and loves her name and the special story that came with it.
he would take us out back and we did not want that to happen.” Joan was one of six kids and was given no middle name. “By the time my mom got to me, she said she ran out of names. The last three of us, we didn’t have middle names,” she said. Although she had no middle name, Joan means “God is Gracious,” so she was very blessed with just the one name. March happens to be the month to celebrate your name. Eleanor Sarita Nearhood Mark, who remembers that her family was Dutch, loves her name. She loves anything with the letter “E,” and she recalls the stories of how she became Eleanor Sarita. Her father, a gasoline truck driver, was supposed to be on his route to make deliveries, the next of which was in Nickerson. But her mother said, “Oh, you can’t go
anywhere because we’re having a baby,” so he got ready and stayed at home. He was so excited and happy to see that he had a baby girl that he wanted to name Eleanor. When thinking of her middle name, they remembered that their friend from a southern state was married to a sweet woman named Sarita. They thought this name was so neat that they gave that special middle name to their Eleanor. Well, in the meantime of them naming and her father holding his new baby girl Eleanor Sarita in his arms real tight, a man came upon their property with a gun looking for him. He was a business owner in Nickerson looking for his gasoline delivery. He said, “Where’s my gasoline?” and her dad replied “Oh, I’m sorry! We just had a baby!
Reflections continued on page 4
Public invited to Art is AgelessÂŽ reception
Sterling Presbyterian Manor will host its annual Art is Ageless juried exhibit to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 20-24,
with a reception from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on March 24. Entries of artistic works will be accepted until March 17 from any area artist who is
65 years of age or older to exhibit and/or
annual competition, as well as art classes, musical
and dramatic events, educational opportunities
and current events discussions throughout the
compete for an opportunity to be featured
year.
Artists may choose to enter the exhibit only.
16 other Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
in the 2018 Art is Ageless calendar.
For the competition, works are to have been
completed in the past five years (since
January 2012).There are nine categories, as
well as designations of amateur or professional.
Local competition winners will join winners from
communities to be judged at the systemwide
level.
Entry forms and information can be picked up at
Sterling Presbyterian Manor, 204 W. Washington
Ave., or by contacting Cindy Moore, 620-278-
The Art is Ageless Program encourages
3651 or cmoore@pmma.org. Or go online to
seniors to express their creativity through its
entry form or enter online.
Presbyterian Manor residents and other area
ArtIsAgeless.org to view rules, download an
STERLING PRESBYTERIAN MANOR 3
Reflections
continued from page 1
I have a daughter, and her name is Eleanor Sarita.� The man from Nickerson was so happy for the couple that he backed off and forgave the delay in his delivery. He wished them and Miss Eleanor Sarita blessings and left. And boy, was she indeed blessed! Eleanor Sarita celebrated her 102nd birthday last October. Some folks were left without middle names, some were named after their parents or family friends, and others’ names were misspelled on their birth certificates. The nuns at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Hutchinson misunderstood Jessie
Mahoney’s parents when they said that her middle name was to be Margaret. They instead wrote “Marguerite,� and the rest is history. Jessie also said that her dad was hoping for another boy that he could name ‘Jessie’ so there was no changing that when their baby girl was born. Her name, which means “gift,� was to be Jessie or else, so it is a very good thing those nuns did not mess that up!
“Time is a great storyteller.� – Irish Proverb
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Sterling Presbyterian Manor 204 W. Washington Sterling, KS 67579-1614
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