St. Francis Manor Celebrates 40 Years of Service
On February 24th, St. Francis Manor residents, board members and employees, as well as Seeland Park residents, celebrated St. Francis Manor’s 40th anniversary with some soft-serve ice cream in the Social Center. A more formal public celebration will be held in conjunction with our Assisted Living groundbreaking later this year.
In February of 1977, the first 48 residents moved into our new 51-bed care facility. The new St. Francis Manor building replaced two older intermediate-care units, one located at Grinnell General Hospital and the other in the old St. Francis Hospital which was located where Seeland Park Phase I is now. Long-time employee Teresa Courtney was employed at Grinnell General Hospital and remembers assisting with the move. “The move went very smoothly,” Teresa said. “The 29 residents at St. Francis Hospital were pushed over in their wheelchairs to the new facility and the 19 residents at Grinnell General Hospital were moved across town in the hospital’s van.” Teresa came to St. Francis Manor with the residents and has been employed here ever since!
According to an article in the Grinnell Herald Register, the hospital trustees asked the hospital staff and residents of the long-term care unit for name suggestions for the facility. Nearly 100 names were suggested and two nurse aides at the hospital submitted the name finally chosen. The name, St. Francis Manor, was chosen by the trustees as “a tribute to the Sisters of St. Francis and St. Francis Hospital which provided dedicated health care to the Grinnell community for so many years.”
St. Francis Manor became a community non-profit organization in September 1980 after separating from Grinnell General Hospital. On January 1, 1982, Dion Schrack became Administrator at the age of 23. Under Dion’s 35-year leadership and with the help of progressive board members, excellent staff members, and generous donations through the St. Francis Manor Foundation, the campus has expanded to 31 acres to accommodate the changing needs of the residents we serve. Read more about St. Francis Manor's history HERE. See photos of the event HERE.
