July 2016 Resident Birthdays

4th-Christine

13th-Marilyn

14th-Georgianna

15th-Patricia

24th-Marvin

26th-Sonia

9th-Audrey

Employee Birthdays

5th– Eppie Sanchez

7th-Candice Ramey

15th-Jennifer Burgess

18th-Patty Robinson

24th-Natalia Dawe

29th-Lou McMillan

29th-Tia Simmons

Your birth month is July:

Introspective and

intense, you tend to be

a deep thinker. You are

quiet and spiritual, and

you have a unique

perspective on life.

The Maples

Celebrations in July

Special Days in July:

July 1st-Canada Day

July 4th-Independence Day

July 6th-National Fried Chicken Day

July 7th-National Strawberry Sundae Day

July 9th-National Sugar Cookie Day

July 11th-Cheer Up The Lonely Day

July 17th-National Ice Cream Day

July 19th-National Ice Cream Day

July 20th-National Lollipop Day

July 2nd-9th National Cherry Festival

National Blueberry Month

National Hot Dog Month

National Ice Cream Month

A Note from Kathy Dube, Administrator

Just a short time ago, it was Certified Nurse

Aide Appreciation Week, and we want to again

let all our CNAs know how much we appreciate the work that they do. They are

our front line troops who not only provide the best possible care for our loved

ones, but are also the eyes and ears for the residents and can tell us more about

their daily lives than anyone else. I am proud to be a co-worker with such a

dedicated group of individuals. Their care and compassion are what makes this

facility outstanding, and we thank them for that! ~ Kathy

Page 2 The Maples July 2016

Resident Reflections-Sue Luedtke

Sue Luedtke was born on May 19, 1930 in

Owasso, Michigan to her proud parents,

Neva and Harold Lyon. She grew up with

her two older sisters, Jane and Ann but

there were quite a few years between

them. Sue remembers being excited to

see them when they came home from

college. One of her memories growing up

in Owasso is talking to German POWs who

worked in the sugar beet fields during

World War II. (see related article on p. 6)

Sue attended elementary school and

high school in Owasso where she

enjoyed all subjects, especially reading,

and playing on the baseball team. After high school, she attended Michigan

State University where she earned her degree in Elementary Education. She met

her husband, Karl Luedtke, when she was at Crystal Lake for the summer. Their

first date was going to the movies and they were married in Owasso on

September 6, 1952. They moved to Frankfort where Karl had his business,

Luedtke Engineering, and raised four wonderful children—Kurt, Paul, Annie, and

Alan. She has 10 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren and she loves spending

time with them whenever she can.

Sue spent her time raising their children and being a housewife but also was

involved in the community, especially working with children. She was a substitute

teacher, worked at Crystal Mountain in the Children’s Skiing Program, and worked

with kids through the 4H Program. She had many hobbies which included knitting,

skiing, sewing, and swimming. She and her husband enjoyed traveling and visited

her sister in San Diego along with skiing trips out west and to Switzerland.

Sue’s favorite color is blue and her favorite food is chicken. Her favorite animals

are dogs and she has good memories of her pets when she was growing up. She

likes living at The Maples because the food is so good.

Interview by Ruth Zeller

July 2016 The Maples Page 3

Father’s Day Fish Fry

The weather could not have been better as our

residents gathered on the patio to enjoy a Father’s

Day fish fry. The delicious lunch included fish, fries,

coleslaw, and cherry pie. Leslie Byrd organized the

event, Dave Burley fried up the fish, and our Activity

and Dietary staff went above and beyond to provide the

residents a festive afternoon outside. Family members

joined in on the fun and the good food. There were

folks on the swing, people counting frogs and toads by

the pond, and others enjoying the flower and vegetable

gardens. Thank you to all

who gave the extra time

and effort to get our

residents in and out and

who helped deliver the

special lunch.

Page 4 The Maples July 2016

National Bring Your Dog to Work Day

The Maples Mission Statement

To provide accessible, high-quality long-term care; to meet the

evolving health care needs of the residents of Benzie County.

There are many benefits to having pets around. Anyone who has ever stroked a dog’s

soft ears or felt the gentle rumble of a cat’s purr knows the calming feeling an

animal can offer. A pet companion presents many health benefits to their owners,

like lower cholesterol levels and can even prevent heart attack and stroke. They can

also help fight depression. Pet therapy for seniors, also known as Animal Assisted

Therapy, is a technique that uses animals to interact with seniors to help improve

their quality of life. Studies show that just fifteen minutes spent bonding with an

animal promotes hormonal changes within the brain. Stress levels drop as the brain

produces serotonin (the “feel-good” hormone), along with prolactin and oxytocin.

This is why therapy animals are good companions for seniors, because they offer so

many amazing health benefits.

The Maples recently celebrated “National Bring Your

Dog to Work Day” by having a few pets around to

brighten the day for our residents. Willow came with

Rachel (Dietary), Bailey came with Kris (front desk),

and Max came with Tom (Therapy). The dogs brought

many smiles to the faces of our residents as well as our

staff. Stay tuned for the Dog Parade coming up on

Friday, August 5!

Page 5 The Maples July 2016

In Memory

The Maples family and Heartland Hospice

would like to invite you to a Resident Memorial

Service on Monday, July 18, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.

in our Resident Dining Room. This will be a

time for family members, friends, staff, and

residents to remember those who have passed

away over the last year. We are a family and when we lose someone, it affects all

of us. As we celebrate those lives, there will be time to share stories, memories,

tears, and laughter. There will be light refreshments following the service. Please

call 352-9674 and let us know if you will be joining us.

The warm summer days have found more residents

and family members taking a stroll outside and

enjoying our patio area. The residents made colorful

plant boxes and the Miller family helped greatly with

pulling weeds and purchasing plants for our garden.

Another sign of summer was when residents and

staff recently enjoyed Michigan strawberries on top

of their choice of pound cake, angel food cake, or

snickerdoodle cookies. Delicious!

Welcome Summer!

Page 6 The Maples July 2016

German POW Camps in the Upper Peninsula

In 1944 and 1945, German Prisoners of War were housed in

a camp 5 miles west of Owosso near the northwest inter-

section of M-21 and Carland Road, presently the site of the

Owosso Speedway. Camp Owasso consisted of a fenced

compound with tents pitched in rows. Normally, each tent

held six prisoners. Most of the prisoners at the Owosso

camp in 1944 had been captured in North Africa. It is esti-

mated that between 200 to 1,000 prisoners were held at this camp. Under the provi-

sions of the Emergency Farm Labor Act, POW labor could be used on nearby farms and

in cannery plants. The principal contractor with the government for prison labor was

the W.R. Roach Canning Company, but when not needed there, groups could be hired by

local farmers for the prevailing farm wage. Of that money, 80 cents per day was given

to the prisoners in canteen checks while the rest (about 52 cents per hour) went to the

federal government to maintain the camp. A typical work day was 8 to 10 hours long,

and generally they worked six days per week.

While officially the local people were not supposed to fraternize with the prisoners,

many of the farmers would feed them lunch, and some remained friends even after the

war ended. The government supplied them with a couple of slices of bread and either a

piece of meat or cheese for lunch, but this was inadequate for many of the men doing

manual labor. Often, the farmer and his wife would include the POWs with the family

for their noon meal. There was at least one instance of the POWs helping the commu-

nity in an unexpected way. On July 6, 1945, they carried a woman out of a burning

building. Mrs. Eva (Frank) Worthington had been released from Memorial Hospital af-

ter giving birth to her tenth child, a daughter. Her husband was the superintendent of

the Roach Canning Factory and was working at the time of the fire. Mrs. Worthington

was awakened when several of the POWs entered the house, wrapped her in her mat-

tress and carried her to safety. The POWs also salvaged some of the family's belong-

ings and helped fight the fire. Gary Slaughter later fictionalized this event in his

book Cottonwood Summer.

You are invited to The Maples Annual Luau

on Thursday, July 21. Drinks at 5:00 p.m.

with dinner served at 5:30 p.m. Please call

352-9674 to RSVP by Monday, July 18, so

we may plan accordingly. Thank you!

Page 7 The Maples July 2016

C H O C O L A T E C H I P L U M X E

V A Z E L K C I R B R E T T U B N E

C A K R U M Y R R E B P S A R G E L

H N N E R A I N B O W K R X L E E P

O A K I B O Y S E N C E Q I F T L P

C C P Y L A V R V A T Z S F T A C I

O E I S R L T N R T M H O P O L I R

Y P H O N R A T U E T C H I C O S E

R R C O F F E B E O H R U M I C M G

R E T Z Q S T H F R O C K Y R O A D

E T N O O U X F C H E R K L P H E U

B T I O N B E A R P A W H C A C R F

W U M A P E P P E R M I N T A X C H

A B E B L U E M O O N M I N T L E M

R P E A C H T U N L A W K C A L B L

T C O O K I E S N C R E A M O O N Z

S U P E R M A N N A T I L O P A E N

APRICOT BUTTER PECAN COOKIES ‘N CREAM NEAPOLITAN RASPBERRY

BEAR PAW CAKE BATTER CREAMSICLE PEACH ROCKY ROAD

BLACK CHERRY CHERRY ENGLISH TOFFEE PEANUT BUTTER STRAWBERRY

BLUE MOON CHOCOLATE FUDGE RIPPLE PEPPERMINT SUPERMAN

BLACK WALNUT CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT CHIP RAINBOW VANILLA

BUTTER BRICKLE COFFEE MOOSETRACKS

July Church Schedule

Wednesday Services are at 10:45 a.m.

Sunday Services are at 2:45 p.m.

Every Wednesday: Catholic Communion at 10:00 a.m.

3rd-Our Savior Lutheran Church 6th-Bear Lake Baptist Church

10th-Benzonia Faith Baptist Church 13th-Moving Waters

17th-Beulah Church of Christ 20th-St. Ann Catholic Communion

24th-No Church Scheduled 27th-Frankfort Elberta Methodist Church

31st-Grace Church

Page 8 The Maples July 2016

This edition of The Maple Leaf is brought to you through the efforts of Gina Dilas, Kathy

Dube, Kris Dykstra, Patt Hudson, Sharon Gilbert , Sue Luedtke and Ruth Zeller.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: There are a number of ways you might volun-teer at The Maples. Our residents love interacting with our volunteers and we appreciate the extra help. Please talk with Jennifer Flynn, Activities Director, for more information.

The Maples, Benzie County Medical Care Facility 210 Maple Ave.

231.352.9674 benziemaples.org

Welcome to our

New Residents!

Eleanor and Mary

This edition of The Maple Leaf is

dedicated to the memory of

Charles Anderson, Shirley Anderson,

Pauline Kraus, and Marvel Money

Our thoughts are with

their families and friends.