MORNINGSTAR – BUILDING FAMILY FOR LIFE Shelly Tatistcheff lives around the corner from MorningStar of Boise. She always knew the community would be a great place for her parents: Chester and Betty Ellyson. Shelly even went so far as filling out the paperwork with Director of Community Relations, Lesley Jacobson. “I knew it was time for a transition. Food was spoiling in the frig. They weren’t eating. But I wanted them to make the ultimate decision.” One day, Lesley called to announce, “Your mom is here right now, getting a tour!” The next week, Chester and Betty were moved in. That was four years ago. While determined to stay independent long as able, the Ellysons were pleased to know (with MorningStar’s assisted living care) they’d never have to move again. That shift did become necessary with Betty’s increased memory impairment. Yet Chet could continue helping his wife with a little extra help from MorningStar. Shelly recalls the day MorningStar assumed management (December 2013). Suddenly, wonderfully, Life Enrichment took a big upswing. “We didn’t know how underwhelming it was until it all got so much better!” Chester, the extrovert, was in his element, engaged in everything the calendar had to offer. And the MorningStar bus began going to every major event in town. In July 2016, Shelly by his side, Chet passed away peacefully in his suite (Betty had passed in August 2014). But not before a steady stream of MorningStar friends filed in to tenderly say good-bye. “You could tell how much they really cared…that this wasn’t just their job.” What an honor for MorningStar to have welcomed into the family Chester, the beloved schoolteacher, and Betty, the vibrant realtor, who together for 12 years served as missionaries, setting up libraries in impoverished areas of Europe. We are truly privileged to serve such heroes of society.
32 BOISE AND THE TREASURE VALLEY – OCTOBER 2016 – MARCH 2017