1300 28th St, Perry, IA50220 (515) 465-5316
www.rowleymasoniccommunity.org [email protected]
The Rowley Register is published
monthly for the distribution of infor-
mation to the friends and family of
Rowley Masonic Community, 1300
28th St. Perry, IA 50220. To subscribe
to this publication, or to receive this
publication by email, contact Kate
Klimesh, Administrator, at (515) 465-
5316, or
Rowley Masonic Community is an
equal opportunity provider and em-
ployer.
Do you know someone
who would like to re-
ceive this newsletter?
Please submit name,
address, phone num-
ber, or name and
email address to Kate
Klimesh, Administra-
tor, Rowley Masonic
Community. Email
her at
kate@rowleymasonicco
mmunity.org or drop a
note at the business
office. We want to
keep in touch with
you!
Rowley Board of Directors
Mike Fletcher, Chairman
Kyle Gordon, Vice-Chairman
John Powell, Treasurer
Neil Paulsen, Trustee
Lyle Miller, Trustee
Many thanks to our gener-
ous donors who support
Rowley Masonic Communi-
ty with their actions, and
with items of use or value,
as well as in their grateful-
ly accepted financial con-
tributions!
Rowley Staff Leadership
Kate Klimesh, Administrator
Kris Siefken, MBA, MSN, RN,
DON
Araceli Chacon, LPN, Unit Man-
ager
Nancy Callahan, LPN, Unit Man-
ager
Marsha James, RN, MDS Coordi-
nator, Assisted Living Nurse Mgr
Steve Cummings-Chase, Dietary
Supervisor
Mary Means, Activity Coordinator
Chris Dover, Environmental Su-
pervisor
Rachel Knutsen, Office Manager
Deepest Thanks to Lori (l) and Allen (r) Meyer, who
generously donated this beautiful bench to our front
entry on Thursday, March 22. Lori and Allen thought
of enhancing Rowley Masonic Community in this
thoughtful way in memory of Lori’s parents Merrill Wil-
liams and Ylene Longwell. We cannot say how much
this means to us! It is located just off the Assisted Liv-
ing E Wing exit! Many thanks for thinking of Rowley
Masonic Community!
The Register
April 2018 Happy to host the Grand Lodge of Iowa!
Mission and Values:
At Rowley Masonic Com-munity, our team joyfully serves residents in every way possible, enabling them to live fully with dignity, laughter and to-
tal respect, Always
As a customer of Rowley Masonic Community, you have the right to expect the following standards
from us:
Rowley staff are invited guests into thew Resi-dent’s Home. All mem-bers of the team will treat you with respect, kindness, and concern at
all times.
All team members will communicate with you frequently and openly as we build win-win rela-tionships, by answering your questions and con-cerns to your complete
satisfaction.
One’s perception of our performance is always the reality. If our perfor-mance does not meet your expectations, please tell us how and we can improve. We welcome
your input and ideas.
Our Services will be de-livered, as you desire, with exceptional quality and individualized atten-tion to meet your special
needs and known wishes.
March 3rd, we were so
pleased to be able to host the Grand Lodge of Iowa Officers at
Rowley Masonic Community! Many thanks to Steve for a deli-cious brunch, and the tours of the
facility were enjoyed very much!
The Grand Lodge Ladies
Group, led by Nancy Williams, Pic-tured below with Administrator
Kate Klimesh and DON, Kris Siefken, RN, MSN, was kind
enough to present a $1,000 dona-tion toward the Music & Memory program at Rowley, and this will
go far towards supplying new iPods and headsets, as well as purchasing music to load onto
residents’ personal playlists.
The Grand Master, Dennis Toby Williams and his lady, Nan-cy, provided a wonderful program,
and generously donated their presentation fee back to Rowley as
well for the Music & Memory Pro-
gram!
For those who aren’t
familiar with the Music & Memory Program, we are working to provide person-
alized playlists for our resi-dents with dementia—
songs that are meaningful to them and their lives—to bring them calm, bring
them enjoyment, and it can even help them recall spe-
cific times in their lives.
It truly is a wonderful pro-
gram. Learn more about the Mu-sic & Memory program at https://musicandmemory.org/. If you or
someone you know would like to volunteer to help with the Music &
Memory program, interviewing residents and residents families, loading iPods, and so on, Please
contact Mary Means, Activity Co-
ordinator at (515-465-5316.
Traditions and Change - Updates at Rowley
Visiting Pets are always welcome at Rowley Masonic Community! We do ask that
pets be on a leash in common areas. For our 4-legged friends who are frequent visitors,
we do request the facility get a copy of their up-to-date vaccinations to ensure the safety
and well-being of our residents! Many thanks!
Trish Plumb, RN, BSN, is on an extended leave, so she is not able to drive the van
for tenants and residents. Larry Nelson has turned in his two weeks notice, effective
March 30, 2018.
Chris Dover, Environmental Supervisor, is taking over the Transportation Coordina-
tion for all lines of service. Currently, Larry Nelson and Mary Means are the Rowley staff
with their Chauffer’s license. For residents in the nursing facility and in assisted living,
please know we are doing our best to coordinate transportation services. We appreciate
your early reservations as much as possible to aid us in scheduling trips.
Transportation for Independent Living Community Members: As of April 22, 2018 we
will no longer be providing transportation for Independent Living Community Members. I
apologize for this inconvenience.—Chris Dover, Environmental Supervisor.
If you are in Independent Living, and need a ride somewhere, please use the HIRTA
contact for public transportation: 515-993-4531. They request 24 hour notice for trans-
portation.
We are excited to announce that the ABC Dining room has been recently opened up
for those residents who need some extra help with their dining experience. The Nursing
Department recognized the need in order to maintain (Continued on page 6)
Residents and tenants
love the Parachute
Toss Game! It may be
simple to play, but it takes a long time to master! Finesse is the key! Pictured is
Earl Benjamin, Doris Benjamin, Opal Ruth, Activity Coordinator Mary Means, Don-
na McDowell, and Robert Slezak. Above left, Charlotte Wicks, Zola Summerson
and Zola’s daughter certainly enjoying just watching the game!
African Program a Big Hit
Mike Divis brought in so many won-
derful and interesting carvings and arti-
facts from his time in Africa to present
to the Residents and tenants of Rowley
Masonic Community on March 20th!
His discussion really illustrated the
vast country, its unique animals and
features of the terrain, and the spirit of
the people.
On our Wish List
The Great Room is missing a large TV
in its entertainment system. If you or any-
one you know has an extra flat panel LED
and/or smart TV that they are not using,
or have no room for due to a move, please
get in contact with Mary Means, Activity Di-
rector to see if it will work in the Great
Room. This entertainment center can hold
a TV that is 38-40‖ diagonal screen size.
The opening is 35‖ wide by 31‖ tall. If
you've got something that would work that
you would like to donate, please do let us
know!
This could certainly provide another
means of entertainment and enjoyment for
the residents!
As our department supervisors grow
into their roles, we will find many more
ways to enhance the residents’ daily lives!
The opportunities are many, and the re-
wards of providing a top quality home for
the residents are priceless!
(Continued from page 2) the resident’s dignity and safety while they dine. Doing
this enables the residents to interact more closely with their own peers. We have received
very positive feedback with this change and look forward to continuing utilizing the ABC
Dining room for those that need that extra help with their dining experiences. - Kris
Siefken, RN, MSN, Director of Nursing
Assisted Living tenants are meeting Marsha James, RN, who has graciously stepped
in to also take on the role of Nurse Manager for Assisted Living in Trish Plumb’s absence.
She is working hard to learn all about the tenants and apartments to continue to provide
stellar services to our tenants!
There are vacancies in Assisted Living, please contact Marsha James at (515)465-
5316 if you know someone interested in moving in!
Rachel Knutsen is our new Business Office Manager, and is simply doing a fabu-
lous job putting all the pieces in order to keep Rowley Masonic Community running
smoothly! Please be patient with us all as we learn new systems, processes and find our
way—we are all fairly new and are learning lots!
Rowley is always looking for quality team members to help support our high stand-
ards and help us improve our resident’s home! Please visit our website –
www.rowleymasoniccommunity.org—and print off an application to mail in, or stop in the
front office and fill an application out, or send that certain someone our way. We are look-
ing for great applicants willing to give their best in almost every department! Contact us,
and we’d love to have you join our team! At Rowley, you can make a difference each and
every day! Join us in creating a loving home for our residents!
BIRTHDAYS!
April Birthdays
Karen Lee—April 11
Zola Summerson—April 15
Ben Vannatta—April 20
If you know someone who would like this newsletter, please contact
[email protected], or call (515)465-5316. We love to keep in touch with
our Rowley Family!
Activities Highlights
Barefoot Becky will be coming April 19th @ 2pm! Little Bit about Becky and her music: Mix three cups of German-
style polka music with one cup of Czech music, and a half-cup each of coun-
try, big band, and party favorites, and you've got a recipe for fun with a band that's really cookin'! It all started when
Becky's mom and dad took the family to polka dances in Swisher, IA. They would
carry the kids around the dance floor un-til they were old enough to walk and learn to dance themselves. Becky loved to
dance, but was always just as interested in the bands and would sit by the stage to watch and listen. People remember the
band best by two things: Becky's bare feet! She started playing barefoot simply because
it was more comfortable than playing with shoes on.
If you liked Mike Divis and his African program you are sure to love his woodcarving
program he will be bringing to us on April 17th @ 2pm. He will bring in some of the
things he has made throughout the years.
Local history enthusiast Larry Vodenik will be coming to present the history of Perry, Iowa. Vodenik’s personal memories do not stretch as far back as do those of many of
his listeners, but his trove of historical images of Perry, particularly its old buildings,
and the research he has done in local history make him a wealth of information.
Maurice Jules has been coming to the Rowley Masonic Home for some time now, we all love his music and it’s great to listen to. Do you know anything about him well here is
some info about this wonderful musician! (Continued on back page)
Jules, who grew up in Chicago, started his first group, The Lovers, in 1963 and record-ed ―Do This For Me.‖ Changing their name in 1964 to Maurice and The Radiants, the
band recorded ―Voice Your Choice‖ and ―Ain’t No Big Thing.‖
After high school, Jules moved to Memphis, Tenn., and founded The Glitters, perform-ing on such television shows as ―Soul Train,‖ ―Della Reese Show, ―Swing Shift,‖ ―The Gong Show‖ and ―The Harry Whitfield Show.‖ He later became a studio singer at Stax
Recording Co., singing background vocals for such artists as Issac Hayes, The Mad
Ladds and The Ovations.
By the early 1970s, Jules went to work for Philadelphia International as a studio artist and repertoire man, working with Blue Magic, The O’Jays, The Stylistics and others. He
also worked with Morris Jefferson and The Premiers, who recorded an album that start-
ed a dance craze called ―The Spank.
In 1987, Jules joined the gospel-singing New Beginning, recording ―Move on Up Heav-ens Way,‖ which earned a gold record. By the 1990s, Jules was touring with such bands as Soft Rockers, Sonia Da Da (―Lover You Don’t Treat Me No Good No Mo), the
Blues Band, Soul Desire and Harold Melvin’s Bluenotes.
He began his solo career in 2007, launching the one-man act, the Maurice Jules Expe-
rience. He also is a member of the Midwest Rock and Soul Revue.
Wednesday morning social, this will be a new activity we will be doing at 9:30 in
the great room every Wednesday. *
We were so excited to host Grand Lodge of Iowa A.F &
A.M. Grand Master Dennis Toby Williams! He gave a
wonderful and uplifting presentation at Rowley, a con-
tinuing care retirement community with roots that bind
it to not only the Ottley Lodge in Perry, but to all Lodges
in Iowa and the Iowa Grand Lodge. We have the Rowley
Masonic Board of Trustees’ pictures on the wall, but all
are hung under Grand Master Williams’ picture! For
us, this was akin to having a celebrity among us!
Pictured: (l-r) Neil Paulsen, Rowley Trustee, welcomes
Grand Master Dennis Toby Williams on March 3rd.
Fun at Rowley!
Pictured left is the sing-
along with Judy Schultz
and Sandy Malone that
we enjoyed in celebration
of St,. Patrick’s Day and
Clarice Ross’ 106th
Birthday! Pictured at
right are Rowley Nursing
Facility residents: (l-r)
Peggy Miller, Doris Pant-
ier, Wilma Clark, Lucille
Christensen, and Janet
Fessler. They truly enjoyed the
green beer and cupcakes! It was a
wonderful celebration.
Pictured right are Rowley As-
sisted Living tenants: (l-r) Doris
Benjamin, Adell Edwards, Joanne
Modlin, Donna McDowell and Vio-
let Clymer. It was a great cele-
bration for a terrific lady, and a
very festive holiday!
Pictured on the opposite page for the Wednesday
social is Garnita Withem, Doris Pantier, Robert
Slezak, Opal Ruth, Shirley Rex, John Means, Do-
ris Benjamin, Donna McDowell, Helen Pohl.