SAINT JOHN'S RESIDENTS

NO NEED TO SPIN A YARN TO KNOW HOW AMAZING THEY ARE

Humorously referring to themselves as the Knit Wits, this vibrant group of avid stitchers – more on that in a minute – gathers twice a week to create while enjoying each other’s company. Originally organized as a knitting group by former resident Liz Pfeifer in 2012, the troupe is now led by Mary McAndrews and has expanded to include all varieties of needlework.

The Art Studio on the second floor of the North Tower provides a spacious, brightly lit environment for knitting . . .

AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN

Spry and sassy at 97, Helga Smith, longtime Central Tower resident, is known for claiming after so many years, she owns a portion of the building! 

Helga moved to Saint John’s in 2004 though her involvement began decades earlier as a volunteer at Cass Street where she assisted with the move to the Prospect Avenue campus. Here, on Tuesdays, she organized trips for residents on her day off from her regular gig as a travel agent. Helga’s efforts took busloads of residents to popular Midwest destinations. Three times per year, journeys to far-flung locales inspired the adventurous.  . . .

A BEAUTIFUL STUDY OF CONTRASTS AND COMPLEMENTS

Kent Mayfield’s career has been in the ministry and higher education in diverse, multicultural settings in the US and abroad. Since 1975, he has combined churchly and academic appointment with research and consultant roles in the non-profit sector often focused on the design and accreditation of adult professional education. He was one of the founders of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), piloting the first advanced degree program for librarians, blending in-person and online learning options for distance students. As a consultant to industry, he created National Building Materials Distributors Foundation and its two  . . .

A GRACIOUS WELCOMING. MANY NEW FRIENDS.

When our good friends Kent Mayfield and Jack Ford told us they were moving to Saint John’s On The Lake, I thought to myself, “Good for them but not for us.”

A few years later, they invited us to come to Milwaukee from Madison to enjoy lunch and see their new home. The beautiful decor and lovely art in the lobby gallery delighted us. Lunch was delicious. Medical support if needed was definitely a good idea. And a few of the upcoming program descriptions seemed informative and enjoyable.  We drove past a community . . .

OUR LIBRARY TEAM STACKS UP WITH THE BEST!

“It’s a real library,” say passing visitors, our residents and volunteers. In 2018 there was a concentrated effort to become a 21st Century library, thus came about the addition of the Media Library and the Tech Center to complement the very visible Main Library. 

The Main Library, with 4,800 books, serves as the anchor with approximately 2,800 check-outs per year. In addition to a workable purchasing budget, we are fortunate to have current fiction and non-fiction donations from our reading residents that keep our collection fresh . . .

A SHARED INTEREST LEADS TO NEW FRIENDSHIPS

What do a physician from Brookfield, a public policy analyst from Door County and a banker from Menomonee Falls have in common other than they and their wives moved to the North Tower in 2020? A love of beer! Well, they certainly landed in the right neighborhood – there are four microbreweries within a mile of Saint John’s. Alan Hilgeman, Sam Carmen and Erik Moeser began meeting last summer on Tuesday afternoons for a stroll and a refreshment.

Alan soon discovered he had a floormate with similar interest, Leonard Goldstein, retired Chairman and CEO of Miller Brewing . . .

KEEPING UP WITH THIS COMPETITIVE RUNNER

At 81 years old, John Becker runs between 25 and 30 miles every week and competes in long-distance runs. To avoid injury and stay in competitive shape, he does regular stretching in the gym and swims laps in the pool at Saint John’s on the Lake, where he lives with his wife, Mary Stott.

John and Mary lived on the East Side only two blocks south of Saint John’s until September 2017, when they decided to move into the retirement community. “I’ve carried on with my life, as it was before I moved here,” Mary says. “We both enjoy the programs Saint John’s offers. One can do a lot here without even leaving the building.”

A PASSIONATE AND PURPOSEFUL LIFE

Dr. Jeanette Mitchell, or Dr. J, as she prefers to be called, is one busy woman. She is the founder of the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee, an initiative addressing the development and sustainability of Black leadership throughout Milwaukee. She is also the Chief Creative Officer of Leadership by Dr. Jeanette, a consultancy focused on engaging in creative partnerships to direct, design and manage leadership development programs throughout the Greater Milwaukee community. Dr. J previously served as Program Director for the Cardinal Stritch University Leadership Center which she co-founded. She was the first education program officer at Bader Philanthropies, a role she held for eight years . ..

RESIDENT GREEN THUMB

When Mary Beth and Holger Petersen moved to the South Tower in 2011, they left behind their gorgeous suburban gardens. Saddened by the loss and with time on his hands, Holger soon found an outlet to continue his passion for beautiful green space. As long-time chair of the Garden & Landscape committee, Holger contributed his considerable knowledge, personal financial resources and countless hours improving and maintaining the many gardens on our campus.

He singlehandedly planted, and for a decade maintained . . .

A MAN ABOUT TOWN

Tony Busalacchi is a man about town – everybody knows Tony and Tony knows everybody – and for good reason; he has been exceptionally active in the City in a wide variety of roles.

Following service in the US Navy (on a minesweeper in Korea during the Korean War and later on a submarine) and college in Iowa, Tony returned to his hometown to teach humanities at the high school and university level and later older adults at Osher and the North Shore School for Seniors. He has  . . .