United Presbyterian Home News

A newly organized group of 25 singers throughout southeast Iowa known as the South East Iowa Singers presented a concert in the Main Dining Room on Thursday evening to a well-attended audience. Directed by Mike Jewell and sponsored by the Washington Choral Society, the group sang a variety of musical styles including Pop, Rock, Jazz and Show Tunes. Lee Buchholz is a member of the group and graced the audience with a solo. Members range in age from 18 to retired senior citizens.

Gwen and Chong Ying attended the All State Orchestra Concert in Ames last week as guests of Nova Meurice and her family. As a high school senior, this is Nova?s fourth year to be selected for the All State Honor Orchestra where she played first chair viola. Nova was a violin/viola student of Gwen?s from the time she was 3 until age 15, at which time Gwen retired from teaching. Nova has invited Gwen to the All State Band Concert each year to show her appreciation for the musical education she received.

The sextet known as Winfield?s Selah presented a concert on Saturday in the Health Center in honor of Corinne Phelps? and Colleen Havel?s birthdays. So many residents showed up that it was standing-room-only. Selah is an unidentified Biblical term with several interpretations including a margin in the Book of Psalms, pause and reflect, lift up and praise, unison and unity or meditate. This musical ministry group of female singers chooses to lift up and praise God through their music. Barb Phelps is a 33e year founding member of the group and the niece of Corinne and Colleen. Everyone enjoyed cake and ice cream following the concert provided by Corinne and Colleen?s sister-in-law Lois Phelps.

Esther Bordwell is pleased to announce the arrival of great-granddaughter Rose Olivia Youngquist. Olivia was born Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, to parents Mike and Heather Youngquist of Chicago, Illinois, and weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Olivia?s grandparents are Bob and Millie Youngquist of Washington.

Betty Beenblossom and Reid Orris attended the first fifth-grade elementary band and choir concert at the Washington Performing Arts Center Tuesday evening. Playing trumpet for the first year was Betty?s grandson Luke Beenblossom. Abigail Kleese, daughter of Tracy and Amy Kleese, and Emma Suchan, daughter of Troy and Angie Suchan, were members of the band and choir who Reid and Betty remember rocking when they were babies in the Up with Day Care Center. The first-year band students have only been practicing for about one month and performed a wonderful rendition of Hot Cross Buns. Instruments were then turned over to parents, who played a selection as taught to them by their children.

Betty Beenblossom and Reid Orris also attended a seventh-grade basketball game in Columbus Junction, earlier in the week to watch Kaitlyn Glosser play. Kaitlyn is Betty?s granddaughter and a student at Pekin School.

One of the unforeseen benefits to construction on the south side of the UPH Campus is that day care children have to enter from the Stewart Hall entrance as they make their way to the Up with Day Care Center in the basement. Staff and residents are delighted each morning with unexpected hugs, smiles and the little hand waves that are a perfect start to the day.

This is ?Grateful for You Week? and residents are busy sending notes of gratitude to people they appreciate. The proposed activity is to write one note per day to someone informing them why you are thankful for them. It is the season to remind ourselves of the things that we are grateful for and express those thoughts.