Community News
Geraldine Stewart: Heritage Health Spotlight
Geraldine Stewart is our resident spotlight at Heritage Health Therapy and Senior Center.
Geraldine has been a resident at Heritage Health since August 11 of this year. “It was my choice to come here and I love it,” Geraldine said. Geraldine spends much of her time crocheting, but she enjoys the company and her roommate and herself are “always stirring up shit.”
Geraldine is 70 years old and “[she] loves it!” She is a Benld native and she spent all of her youth in the lovely town. Her father worked on the local railroad and her mother worked out at the chicken farm where she cleaned chickens. When her parents were at work, it was just Geraldine and her sister.
Since then, her sister has passed away and now Geraldine is at Heritage Health because her “brain is koo-koo and [she] likes to makes fun of her condition because she can get away with a lot of crap.”
Geraldine recalls growing up in a little house at the end of 7th street and when she was old enough to start school, she went to school. Notice she did not willingly go to school because “I did not like school.” Geraldine was educated in the Benld school from first grade up until her senior year. At the end of her senior year, she graduated from a class of 21.
The year before she started school, Geraldine picked up on crocheting from her mother. “I always remember sitting by her feet on the floor while she sat in the recliner and I watched what she did,” Geraldine said of her mother, “Then finally, I picked up on it and I have been crocheting ever since.” In her room at Heritage Health, you will find numerous hangers that have been yarned around along with an afghan and of course her bag of yarn along with her crocheting hooks.
“I do not do it right,” Geraldine added as she explained how much she crocheted, “My mother taught me to do it one way, but I do it my way and I have made a hell of a lot of money.”
After high school, she went on right away to TWA to be a stewardess. “I had a nice body then,” she boasted, “Long, nice hair and everything, those days were very special.” In Kansas City, she had her own nice apartment and was employed by the airport to work in the central office where all the statistics were taken care of instead of being a stewardess.
Geraldine changed her mind because she did not want to be living out of a suit case and being only 22 minutes away from the airport, it was very unreasonable for her to constantly travel.
“I loved my job,” she said of the statistic work, “We were the heart of the airport. All of the crashes came through my area.” After working there for about 3 years, “[she] got stupid and got married.”
Geraldine married an older man “that needed a mother” when she was about 21 years old. Jack Barrell was her first husband. Jack was the brother of the famous Rusty Barrel who was an actor.
Geraldine had 3 children with Jack: 2 sons and 1 daughter. Erik and Lavan live in Las Vegas, Nevada and Keith lives in California. Erik recently just came down and visited her.
“I have not seen my hippy son for quite some time and I have not seen my grandson since he was born,” Geraldine noted. Geraldine went on to say that Erik will never grow out of the hippy phase.
After living in Kansas City a few additional years and continuing to work at TWA, Geraldine and Jack decided to move back to Benld and “live like regular human beings and get out of the rat race for a while.” Living in Benld worked out for them as Geraldine grabbed a job at Harmon’s, now Randy’s Market, and worked there for about 18 years.
A couple years passed and then the two got divorced “finally.” There was always laughter and carrying on involved in Geraldine’s life. According to her, it was a crazy a life but a fun one.
For fun, Geraldine had a group of people they always went camping with. They all had either trailers or RVs and they would to travel to Fisherman’s Retreat in California every year. “It was a fun time,” Geraldine added, “We loved to fish.” Outside of camping, she enjoyed going to the ocean and the desert.
A few years down the road, Geraldine remarried and this time the lucky man was: Jimmy Stewart. Geraldine made sure to note that he was not the actor, but was “an asshole.”
Jimmy was a truckdriver and he was a bunch of fun, according to Geraldine.
At Heritage Health, Geraldine enjoys doing whatever she feels like doing and loves the bingo. “Everyone plays bingo and all the old ladies say ‘oh shit’ when they their number is not called,” Geraldine added, “Bingo is a stressful game, I was one number away from winning $25,000 in bingo.”
I love this place, Geraldine closed, most of my family goes through here and it was my choice to come here.
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The Gillespie Public Library is having a promotional giveaway during the month of December. The “December Spin Giveaway” will allow patrons to spin for prizes each time books are checked out during the month of December.
The prizes are to Gillespie businesses.
Although December is a hectic month with the holidays, take time to relax with a “good book” and visit the library.
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Limited Spots Available, Register By December 20
This winter, Blackburn College invites children ages 6-12 to participate in an exciting All-Sports Camp from December 30-31, 2024 and January 2-3, 2025. The camp will be held at the newly opened Blackburn Athletic Center and newly redesigned M.C. Court in the historic Dawes Gymnasium. The four-day camp runs from 9 am to 12 pm each day, offering young athletes the chance to stay active during the holiday season while exploring a variety of sports. With limited spots available, early registration is encouraged. The registration fee is $100, and the sign-up deadline is December 20, 2024.
Participants will engage in baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball activities designed to build confidence, encourage teamwork, and inspire a love for sports in a fun and supportive environment. They will spend part of the day developing essential skills and putting those techniques into action by playing games. Most equipment will be provided, but attendees should come dressed in athletic clothing and ready to play.
“This camp is a fantastic opportunity for kids to stay active during their winter break, make new friends, and experience the thrill of learning skills taught by NCAA coaches and players,” said Kim Camara-Harvey, Blackburn College’s Director of Athletics and Recreation. “Our brand-new Blackburn Athletic Center, with its 200-by-120-foot turf field and retractable batting cages, and our revitalized basketball and volleyball court will be the perfect setting for fun and growth.”
In addition to the camp activities, all participants will receive two (2) tickets to watch the Blackburn Men’s Basketball Team take on the University of Dubuque on Monday, December 30, at 3:00 pm.
Don’t miss this opportunity to give your child a memorable winter break experience! To register or for more information, visit blackburn.edu/recreation or contact Heather Heater, Blackburn College Recreation Coordinator, at athletics@blackburn.edu or 217-854-5719.
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Madison Communications sponsored the Community Hope Center’s Christmas Toy Drive once again this year. The new and unwrapped toys for girls and boys ages 0-12 were collected from the middle of October through the first week of December.
Madison was overjoyed with the outcome of the Toy Drive and wants to thank anyone who took the time to donate. The holiday season is a perfect time to give back to the local communities.
