Barbie Sharrard was united for the first time with a sister she never knew existed. Barbie was at a quilting retreat when she got a surprise phone call from her older daughter Margot. “Mom, you’ve got a sister!” With their mother’s permission, Barbie’s daughters Margot and Jill had done some sleuthing into their mom’s past.
Dr. Donald Mott is well known for his work in Puyallup and now resides at Wesley Bradley Park. Born in Washington State, Don and his wife Barrie moved to Puyallup in 1973. They raised four children while Barrie studied cultural anthropology at Pacific Lutheran University and Don practiced orthopedic surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. Don
JoAnne Swanson has served as one of Bradley Park’s most enthusiastic ambassadors since shortly after the Puyallup communities’ groundbreaking ceremony in early summer 2017. JoAnne recalled future resident Marilyn Knutson saying, “I want JoAnne to be an ambassador because her personality fits so well!” Joanne embraced her role as a Bradley Park Ambassador and Pioneer,
A shared love of mountains becomes a shared love for each other. By Pat King, Wesley Des Moines resident It was May 1959 when Clara’s love of mountains brought her from Colorado to Longmire in the southwest corner of Mt. Rainier National Park. She was hired as a secretary for the park. That summer a
Gene, like many of our residents, is a man with many talents. He’s a retired technical engineer, but he is also an experienced costumier. Recently retired from being chair of the Wesley Lea Hill Resident Council, Gene Barker has been an integral part of Lea Hill’s emergency response team. He was approached a couple of
Wesley Des Moines resident Ronnie Bialik talks about what helped her most during her recovery from a serious neck injury. Ronnie Bialik has been a resident of Wesley Des Moines for three years. She enjoys spending time with friends, participating in fitness classes and painting with oil and pastels. That is until recently, when she
Margaret is a fearless champion of life-long learning. Meet Margaret Squires, a longtime resident of Wesley Des Moines for nearly 20 years. Margaret was born on June 27, 1926, in Spokane, WA. She moved to the Philippines with her family when she was 11 years old where she enjoyed her childhood there, making many friends
Wesley Homes Des Moines resident Gloria Helms pays tribute to her late husbands through a chapel designation. Gloria Helms, born Gloria Traynor, grew up in North Dakota. She moved to Washington State in 1951 with her soon-to-be husband, John White, where she worked as a secretarial assistant at General Electric for 58 years. John passed
Fred Gangl, a five-year resident of Wesley Homes Lea Hill and a WWII veteran, is credited with helping to develop the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Born in Cincinnati Ohio, Fred Gangl went into the service at 18 years old. He was in the Navy during WWII from February 1943 to February 1946. He spent two and
By Diana Rawls, Des Moines Health Center Activities Assistant The Des Moines Health & Rehabilitation Center welcomes an acclaimed Fremont artist and mask-maker. Roger Robert Wheeler is a Fremont artist who is best known for his paintings and mask sculptures. His artwork has been seen in international exhibitions, Northwest galleries and festival events for the last
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