Volume 15-9 Number 176

VALLEY VIEW VILLAGE RESIDENTS’ NEWSLETTER

www.valleyviewvillage.org

January 2017

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2017…I hope you all had a blessed holiday season, and staying warm in

this good old Iowa winter! We knew that beautiful fall weather had to come to an

end sooner or later.

I’m excited to make you aware that our campus now has a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ValleyViewVillage/

Be sure to go to our page and “like” us! Please let your friends and family know

about our page as it’s a great way to keep up with us. Alexis will work hard on

keeping the information and pictures fresh and new, and with all the events that

happen on this campus, I don’t think she’ll ever lack for material. We’re very

excited about launching this, and I hope you enjoy it as well.

Thank you to all that contributed to our Christmas Wish Book mailer – to date

we have received $3,440. This will help grant some wishes and fulfill some needs

on our campus. Every year I am overwhelmed and humbled by your generosity.

May your year be full of blessings, peace, and good health!

As always, thank you for your prayers and support!

Shelly Charter

Housing & Marketing Manager

We want to extend a very

gracious THANK YOU to

everyone who helped grant

our wish for a new truck

for snow removal!

Gene and his team are very

thankful! God Bless!!!

1st Bill Thompson

2nd Alice Raymond

7th Maxine Barker

8th Jackie Wathne

9th Elizabeth Miller

11th Evelyn Bunnell

11th Ted Thorne

15th Leona Strait

16th Gylena Pickhardt

17th Nancy Aarons

17th Virginia Hicks

21st Leland Long

22nd Mickey Anderson

23rd Mary Lou Allen

26th Josephine Sparks

26th Odessa Westlake

27th Leland Hill

28th Philanna Grier

31st Sylvia Christiansen

31st Gene Mally

Hostesses:

Nancy Baker & Lois Newcomb

Dinner: January 18, 2017

Birthstone: Garnet

Flower: Carnation

Upcoming Events

All events will be held in the Main Dining Room unless specified

Monday, January 9 2pm “Accordion Man”

Keith Lambertsen

to perform a variety of music

on his “many” accordions

Saturday, January 14 10am Coffee Social

Monday, January 23 2:30pm Popcorn Social

Keep up with us at www.valleyviewvillage.org

OR

https://www.facebook.com/ValleyViewVillage/

Fax Number:

515.265.3044

You can also stop in to the

office and we can make a copy

if you prefer. Shot records need

to go to Alexis in Marketing.

Thanks!

Newsletter Staff Editor………………..Alexis Morrison

Note About This Newsletter’s Color

This issue is printed in color on white paper. If you have difficulty reading this Newsletter because of the color print, please ask the office for a copy printed in black and white.

Happy

January

Birthdays

Details for sign up will be in the

February issue of the Village Voice.

Mark Your Calendars! Let’s Go, Wild!

Game is on Sunday, February 19th

Bus will load at 2:15pm

Game starts at 3pm.

Attention Furry Friend Owners!

Please have your vet fax in your most current shot records for your

cat or dog. This can be hard to keep track of with so many furry

friends on campus, so going forward, please submit your shot

records every January. We will put a yearly reminder in the Village

Voice.

In Loving Memory

Mary Vine

10.7.1927 to 12.7.2016

Viola Allen

2.18.1927 to 12.8.2016

Mary Hunt

5.9.2016 to 12.8.2016

Thank you for all the donations!

125 mittens, 82 hats, 11 scarves,

and 7 headbands were donated to

Garton Elementary School!

Village Voice Travels!

Walter and Florence enjoyed a trip to

Oklahoma City to attend a reunion

for the USS Epping Forest, which was

the ship that Walt was stationed on

during the Korean War.

Join us for “The Accordion Man” Keith Lambertsen

on Monday, January 9th at 2pm.

Ketih has over 40 models of accordions and

enjoys playing gospel, polkas, foxtrots, and waltzes.

Photo courtesy of The Washington Times

Assisted Living Pella Trip May 10th, 2013

You can now find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyViewVillage/

Make sure to “Like” us so you can follow all of

the exciting things going on around campus.

Dave Kiel and Bob Dahl, CEO of Elim Care, presented resident’s Ted and Rose Mary and our diligent

and faithful maintenance worker, Tim, with the Oasis award. This award can be achieved through

planned giving or through nomination for exemplary service. Congratulations!

If you’d like to know more about planned giving, you can contact Dave Kiel at 952-259-4500.

Inspirational Memories Chaplain Craig Burton

On January 5, Dean L. Heggen and Sylvia Perzell were married at the famous “Little Brown Church” near

Nashua, Iowa. Congratulations for being married for seventy years!

Dean grew up in the small community of Alleman, north of Ankeny, and Sylvia grew up in Slater. The two

met at a baseball game, where Dean was a catcher. He made an excellent catch when he asked Sylvia to be

his bride. Dean was 21 when they got married and Sylvia was a month shy of her 18th birthday. “I had to get

my parents signature to get married”, laughed Sylvia. Dean was the 7th of 10 children and his father was a

lumber dealer and also worked in a bank for a while. Sylvia’s parents came from Czechoslovakia. She grew

up hearing the native language in her home and can speak a little of it even today. Her father worked as a

coal miner in Southern Iowa.

When Dean and Sylvia were first married they lived in family’s farm home near Alleman. “We stayed in

their home and took care of their chickens while they spent the winter in Iowa.” Soon after they moved to

Des Moines where they occupied their home on East 24th Street, not too far from here. They have lived in the

same home for 55 years. Dean was employed as an auto and truck mechanic. He worked for Johnston’s

garage, Ruan Trucking for 37 years, and finally the Iowa Department of Transportation. Except for a short

stent working a K-Mart, Sylvia worked as a busy housewife all her married life. Part of her time was spent

taking care of both of their mothers as they became elderly.

The Heggen’s have 3 children: Joseph, James and John. They have been blessed with 4 grandchildren: Karen,

Heather, Joseph, Kevin, and 4 great grandchildren: Kheryssa, Kailye, Garrett Dean & Anna. The Heggen’s

have known their share of tragedy and loss over the years. Sylvia’s brother was killed in action during WW II

at Iwo Jima, and their son, James, died of an illness at age 22. Their granddaughter, Heather, died a year later

at the age of 2. During these times and even now their faith in God sustains them. They were both raised

Lutheran and attended the Grandview Lutheran Church in Des Moines. Sylvia claims that Dean is the most

wonderful husband a woman could possibly have. He is caring and loving and has helped people, especially

the two widow neighbors who lived by them for many years. Dean would move their snow with his snow

blower and even when his legs were bad he would operate the blower for them while Sylvia followed him in a

chair in case he needed to rest. Over the years Dean used his handyman skills to not only work on his home

but on the homes of his family members and neighbors.

Although the Heggens have not been to church for many years, their faith is very important to them. When I

asked them if they were certain that they were going to heaven, they responded affirmatively. To my

amazement, Sylvia enthusiastically took out a prayer that she had hand copied from one of my recent

newsletter articles and told how she not only prayed the prayer herself but read it to her elderly sister and to

her husband. Then she asked Dean to read it aloud which he did.

It was a pleasure to interview the Heggens for this article and to observe how God has been with them

through good times and bad. Most of all it is good to know they are assured of their eternal destiny in heaven.

Since the prayer was such a blessing to them I include it now in closing in the hopes that it will be a blessing

to others as well. “Lord Jesus I realize that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself through my own

works. I thank you for dying in my place. I ask you to forgive me and save me from eternal damnation. I

receive you into my life as my personal savior by faith and I give myself completely to you. Amen”

Happy 70th

Wedding Anniversary

Dean & Sylvia

Please Welcome Our New Administrator

Stephanie Proper!

We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Proper will be our new Executive

Director/Administrator at the Valley View Village community! Stephanie was born

and raised in Newton and is very familiar with the east Des Moines community. She

is excited about returning “home” while staying within the Elim family. She is

passionate about Elim’s mission and “Serving in the Spirit of Christ’s Love”!

Stephanie has most recently served as the Administrator at Elim Rehab & Nursing Home in Watertown,

Minnesota for nearly a year. Prior to that, she completed in-depth Administrator practicums with three large

and reputable aging services organizations. In addition, she has several years of leadership experience,

including serving as the Circulation District Manager at the Owatonna Peoples Press for over six years. In this

role, she led a team of 100 individuals in various positions.

Stephanie starts Tuesday, January 3rd. This delay will allow her and her family to move during their school’s

semester break. She is very excited about getting to know the residents, staff, and community! We will be

setting up various opportunities in the near future for these groups to meet and connect with her both during

and following her transition.

Please join us in welcoming and praying for Stephanie and her family!

A Note From Stephanie

I am so excited to be the new Executive Director at Valley View Village and to start our journey together

serving in the spirit of Christ’s love!

I love Elim and I love Elim’s mission, I am thankful to join the great Valley View team. I am passionate

about our aging community and continuing to provide quality care to our Valley View community.

As you may have heard, I grew up in Iowa and I am so glad to be home again. I am married to a wonderful

man, Rob, and we have two children Isabelle (4th grade) and Lily (3rd grade). They are ecstatic to move to

Iowa and to be closer to family.

I am eager to get to know everyone as we start our new beginning, please feel free to stop in or give me a call!

“When God gives you a new beginning, it starts with an ending. Be thankful for closed doors. They often

guide us to the right one!” -Unknown