The large sign outside Pioneer Village that reads, “Heroes Work Here,” should also read “Heroes Live Here,” as evidenced by recent community-spirited work of resident John Howell. Although he and his wife, Jane, have only lived at Pioneer Village for about a year, they are 42-year residents of the area. John (77) wore many hats during his professional career in the restaurant, real estate, and construction fields. In fact, one of his early hires at the Ancient Mariner restaurant in Tustin, California, was a 19-year-old Jerry Hayes, one of the founders of Jacksonville’s famed Bella Union Restaurant.
Today, John’s main job is caring for Jane, who has Alzheimer’s Disease and is the main reason the couple relocated to the care home. In addition to his involvement with the annual Alzheimer’s Memory Walk as Captain of “Team Chitwood Segue” and other non-profit work, he’s responsible for the popular “Flower Cheer Friday” program that has gifted the Pioneer Village staff and residents with flowers for 13 weeks.
Jane Howell, Jeannie Inman, John Howell
John noted, “During the early stages of the Covid 19 lockdown, I just decided to place some store-bought flowers on a shelf in the hallway with a note for staff and residents to take them and enjoy them.” The Flower Cheer Friday give-away quickly grew in scope as others got involved and offered their assistance and funding. “My longtime friend, Iris Strange who founded ‘The Ladies Who Shine’ events group and whose mother, Amelia, lives here, helped out by arranging flowers in vases and by obtaining cash donations. Mary Kell of the Good Bean, Jeannie Inman and her daughter, Taylor (formerly of the Mustard Seed Café) baked treats, cookies and also created greeting cards, while Alix Geo of The Cotton Broker provided home-grown flowers…Cheryl Von Tress provided hand-crafted book marks and painted rocks that were a big hit with residents and the staff.”
John says the program ran for 13 weeks and will resume “on special occasions,” with the next Flower Cheer Friday taking place over Labor Day. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to this worthwhile and much-appreciated program are encouraged to reach John via email at johnandjaneh@gmail.com or via phone at 541-200-9272.