June 2015
The Traditions Times
Traditions Assisted Living & Memory Care 609 HWY 150 N West Union, IA 52175
Phone 563-422-7291 Fax 563-422-9300
Celebrating June
From the Director’s Chair
By Campus Director, Sandy Koester
Fireworks Safety Month
Women’s Golf Month
Great Outdoors Month
Say Something Nice Day
June 1
International Firefighters Day
June 4
Turtle Races Day
June 6
Sun Safety Week
June 7–13
International Sushi Day
June 18
Flip-Flop Day
June 19
Lightning Safety
Awareness Week
June 21–27
Day of the Seafarer
June 25
Traditions Summer Sunday Fun Day!
Wow! It’s warming up and thank goodness
because we are all more than ready to spend
time outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air!
June is an especially exciting month at Traditions
this year because I have planned a community
wide event for people of all ages…Summer
Sunday Fun Day! It will be on June 28th from
11a.m. to 4p.m. in our main parking area.
Do you remember old fashioned block parties?
This event will be our version of the good old
days with games, music, antique cars and
tractors on a growing list of fun and family
oriented activities. We will also soon be selling
tickets for Mike Reicks’ Famous Chicken Dinners
at a cost of $10 which includes chicken, broasted
potatoes, & beans. Water or Pop will be available
for $1 and The Fayette County Dairy Ice Cream
Trailer will also be selling ice cream. Plan to come
out and join us!
June 2015
Men’s Health Month
Is it the donuts? The
BBQ? The beer?
When it comes to the
proverbial battle of
the sexes, women
are winning when it
comes to health.
Unfortunately, many men put their health last.
But June is Men’s Health Month—a time to cast
aside being macho and embrace the advice
medical science has to offer.
Lucky for men, the top threats to their health
aren’t secret. The leading threat to men’s health
is cardiovascular disease, the hardening of
arteries that often leads to strokes or heart
attacks. To combat this deadly disease,
commonsense medical advice applies: exercise
at least 30 minutes a day, eat more fruits and
vegetables, get your cholesterol checked, and
stop smoking. Quitting smoking will also reduce
the chance of lung cancer, another leading
threat to men. Another cancer that affects many
men as they age is prostate cancer. Luckily,
most prostate cancers are slow-growing and
unlikely to spread…if caught early. Perhaps one
of the most important decisions a man can make
is to regularly visit a doctor for checkups.
Amazingly, women are 100% more likely to visit
a doctor for an annual checkup than men.
Visiting a doctor is truly the first, and easiest,
step in improving a man’s health.
Throughout the month of June, people will be
wearing blue in support of men’s health issues.
For you men out there, June may just be just the
time to try a new hobby or exercise, such as
yoga, weight lifting, tai chi, golf, fishing,
gardening, or woodworking. Even a daily walk
can bring innumerable benefits to both mind and
body. And men don’t just ignore physical
ailments; they often ignore mental or
psychological ailments, too. Activities that
exercise the body also reduce stress and
provide a social outlet. June 21 is Father’s Day,
but it may also be a great day to schedule a
doctor’s appointment.
My Favorite Meal
The resident names drawn for June are
Hildred Pleggenkuhle and Edith Schupbach.
Emily, our Lead Dietary, will be visiting with
them to help them plan their favorite meal
which will be served to our residents in
Assisted Living and in Memory Care.
Welcome!
Please welcome Gordon Lauer and Lisa
Johnson, two new residents joining us at
Traditions.
Mrs. Halverson’s Jr. Kindergarten class visited us to
make gifts for Mother’s Day. You can take the teacher
out of the classroom, but you can’t take the classroom
out of the teacher. How precious is this!?
Staff Emails:
Sandy Koester, Campus Director
skoester@oxford.com
Nicole Wolf, Campus Nurse
nwolf@oxfordmgmt.com
Krista Ward Campus Activities
kward@oxfordmgmt.com
Emily Boyum, Campus Dietary
kitchen@oxfordmgmt.com
Traditions Emergency (Staff or family only)
Cell Phone # 563-422-1344
June 2015
Employee of the Month:
Theresa Ney
News, Notes & Needs
Summer Sunday Fun Day! Sunday, June
28th from 11-4 Traditions will be hosting an
outdoor community and family extravaganza!
Music, games and more! We are also selling
tickets for Mike Rieck’s Chicken dinners.
Purchase them for $10 each from any staff
member or at the front desk area.
Wow! Miss Iowa, 22-year-old Taylor Even,
from Jesup, Iowa visited us recently. What a
lovely young lady we have to represent Iowa.
We wish her well with her future endeavors.
Theresa was born the first of 6 children and
raised on an acreage near St. Lucas and
attended Turkey Valley High schools. Upon
graduation she then went on to NICC and
received her degree to practice Cosmotology.
She worked in salons in the area for a few
years before changing careers to line work at
Dura for about 12 years. Dura began layoffs in
2007 so Theresa found it necessary to look for
another career. She took a chance and applied
here at Traditions in 2008 where she has been
a loyal employee ever since. Theresa
thoroughly enjoys the residents and the
atmosphere at Traditions. She now lives in
West Union and has 2 children, a daughter,
Taylor,13, and a son,Cole, 8. When she is not
caring for our residents here at Traditions
Theresa likes to be outdoors or spending time
with family and friends. She also enjoys
scrapbooking, but as we all know, for a busy
mom, it’s difficult to find the time to get it all out
and put it all away.
Emails!!! We are compiling a list of emails for
our newsletter. If you would like to receive our
newsletter via email instead of having one
mailed via the post office, please email
kward@oxfordmgmt.com with “eNewsletter
Please” in the subject box.
Favorite color: Black (it’s slimming)
Favorite TV show: Dancing with the Stars or Chicago Fire
Favorite food: Chinese or Mexican
Favorite genre of music:Country
Pet Peeve: When my kids pick on each other over little things
Favorite holiday:Christmas
What is up with Judy? A. She’s just showing her
Norwegian side B. Her all-togethers are all-together C.
She wants me to check if she has something in her teeth
or D. She just found a worm in the flower bed. 
June 2015
Resident of the Month:
Anne Jespersen
Ann was born December 25th, 1922 in Watertown,
New York, one of 5 children. She graduated from
Watertown High and worked at the first Woolworth’s
Department store and as an aid for her aunt in order
to save money to attend Mercy Hospital’s Nurse
Training program. She then worked as a nurse for
Mercy hospital, Good Samaritan Care Facility and a
US Army hospital. She met her husband, Ray, at a
dance in Watertown, as a young soldier in the
making. They were married June 8th, 1946 and
moved to New Jersey where he would be trained at
Fort Dix. They made Viborg, South Dakota their
home upon his discharge from the Army, first living
with his parents, then an apartment, then a farm
bought from an old friend. There they raised a family
of 5, Ronnie, Kathy, Margaret, Susie, Nancy, and
Randy and farmed for 60 years. Ann enjoyed doing
embroidery, knitting and collecting postcards. Ray
kept busy outdoors and participated in many civic
and community organizations including; The
American Legion, The Danish Brotherhood and a
local cemetery board. They both shared a love of
family, music and singing. Ray and Ann came to
Traditions in July of 2009 knowing the area as their
daughter, Kathy had moved to Postville in 1971 and
their daughter Margaret was living in the area as
well. They had visited many times so it felt like
home. Ray passed away in June of 2013 passing on
a living legacy of 12 grandchildren and 9 greatgrandchildren that Ann continues to cherish. Ann’s
family remains very close even though miles now
separate some of them. She still enjoys music and
reminiscing about the good old days.
June Birthdays
In astrology, those born between the 1st and
the 21st of June are Gemini’s Twins. Geminis
love conversation, and they’re good at it too!
Witty, intellectual, curious, charming, and
imaginative, they‘re often the life of the party. If
you were born in June between the 22nd and
30th, that makes you a Crab of Cancer. Crabs
are nurturers, dedicated to their home and
family. Gentle and kind, they love storytelling
around the dinner table and enjoy upholding
traditions. Celebrities born in June include:
Andy Griffith (actor) – June 1, 1926
Morgan Freeman (actor) – June 1, 1937
Curtis Mayfield (singer) – June 3, 1942
Dean Martin (singer, actor) – June 7, 1917
Joan Rivers (comedian) – June 8, 1933
Gene Wilder (director) – June 11, 1933
Burl Ives (singer) – June 14, 1909
Meryl Streep (actress) – June 22, 1949
June Carter Cash (singer) – June 23, 1929
Mel Brooks (actor) – June 28,1926
To Tradition’s Residents:
Jim Franecki on the 12th
Les Hawes on the 20th
Hazel Jensen on the 29th
Verena Croatt on the 29th
Quote of the Month:
“You can kiss your family and friends goodbye
and put miles between you, but at the same time
you carry them with you in your heart, your
mind, your stomach, because you do not just live
in a world, a world lives in you.”
Frederick Buechner