Young retires after 29 years at LMCC

by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
“Pat has been a wonderful asset here at the Lake Mills Care Center, she’s been a great employee, training  countless CNAs,” said Heather Van Ryswyk, business office manager and LPN. “She’s made lots of difference in people’s lives. She’s very caring, just a wonderful caregiver, is great to work with, a wonderful personality, and she’s going to be missed.”
Pat (Dave) Young, is retiring after 29 years of working at the LMCC as a CNA. Last Thursday, the staff at the Care Center hosted a retirement party for Young, with a special cake and coffee.
“Your longevity is to be admired,” said Administrator Crystal Thoe, as she presented Young with a basket of gardening goodies, and a fall-colored rose with leaves in a vase.
What drew Pat to the LMCC in the first place, she said, was that she was looking for a way to make some extra money to cover Christmas presents she had purchased in 1989.
“I kept driving past here and thought, well the care center’s always asking for workers, so I applied and started in January of 1990, thinking, ‘ok, I’ll work a couple months.’ I was surprised at how much I liked it. It was a shock to me, because I was working at the school too, so I worked in the afternoons here. I loved the people here. I knew everybody, ‘cause they knew me from when I was little.”
“We’re sad to see you go, and we wish you well on your next journey,” said Traci Harvey, co-director of nursing, who was sitting at Pat’s table. “When I started in 1994, Pat taught me a lot of what I know today . . . she also trained in my husband, who worked here as an aide.”
One of the residents, who had come in to celebrate with Young, was her own father, Don Adams. He said a few words and bestowed affection upon her. In ways, this will be a difficult move for Young, leaving her father behind when she moves to Cedar Rapids.
“I’m leaving because of my husband’s health and I’m just getting tired. It’s time (to retire)  . . . I’ll miss the relationships with the neighbors—the residents and with the workers. It’s kind of nice that I gradually went into retirement.”