United Presbyterian Home news

Esther Bordwell has always had a love for writing so it is of no surprise that she has put her talents and emotions into her latest published work; My Fourth Son, Yoshi … A Memoir. Yoshihisa Kanda, Yoshi as he preferred to be called, was a Japanese foreign exchange student who lived with the Bordwell family during his senior year of high school, graduating from Washington High School in 1965. Having three birth sons, Esther considered Yoshi her fourth son and the entire Bordwell clan welcomed him into the family.

Esther's story is a personal account of Yoshi's time with them and the close bonds made in one short year that spanned a lifetime. Other family members contributed to this work recounting special times with Yoshi and travels made to visit him in Japan and New York City where he lived for a short while. Excerpts also come from former high school friends as well telling of the impact Yoshi had on their young impressionable lives. Some remember thinking how brave Yoshi must have been to travel so far from his native Japan to the United States, bridging the gap left twenty years after World War II ended. Yoshi returned to Washington, Iowa on several occasions including two high school reunions.

He was always eager to share time with his second family. Yoshi died January 10, 2020 inspiring Esther to pay tribute to a special person who she dearly loved. Esther has donated a copy of her book to the United Presbyterian Home Library. Esther is the author of two other published books, Family Ties, A Personal History and My Favorite Hobby, Creative Writing along with many poems and her famous Christmas letters.

Heath Center residents enjoyed a chocolate dipping tasting party prior to Valentine's Day last week. Jan Fleig and Tiara Kraus of the Activities Department arranged melted chocolate for each resident to dip small morsels of angel food cake, pretzels, graham crackers and marshmallows. They had such a good time dipping and laughing and the best part was eating the finished treats.

Scheduled visits have resumed in the Health Centers following a long stretch of isolation due to Washington County positivity rates in COVID cases. Some restrictions still apply but residents and family members are happy to be able to see one another in person again. We must stay safe, but it is a step in the right direction.