A Life of Faith, Family, and Quiet Service: Park Place St. John Testimonial
When Eileen talks about her life, she starts with the South Side of Chicago, where she was born and raised before marrying at nineteen and beginning a new chapter in Highland, Indiana. She and her husband, Burdette, shared sixty-six years together, a span she describes simply as a blessing. “The Lord gave us a beautiful life,” she said. “I had a husband who was a jewel.”
It is easy to believe her. She still tells stories of his kindness, like the day he stopped outside a restaurant to buy a meal for a man who had nothing. “That was just who he was,” she said. “Always thinking of someone else first.”
They raised five children together, and Eileen was at home with them until a family emergency nudged her into unexpected work. Her brother-in-law ran a tuxedo shop in Highland, and when his seamstress passed away, right at the start of prom season, he called her in a panic. “I said, ‘I’ll be right there.’ I could sew,” she recalled with a smile. That one day turned into a thirty-year career she loved, all just three blocks from home.
Meanwhile, Burdette rebuilt his life, too. After a toboggan accident left him with a back injury, he had to leave the family dairy business and start fresh in real estate. They supported each other the whole way. “We made it work,” she said. “God was good to us.”
When her husband passed away four years ago, her family worried about her living alone. One daughter suggested Park Place of St. John, where several family members had been involved years before. Eileen decided to try it, just a few weeks after losing her husband.
“It wasn’t what I had planned,” she said. “But the help here has been wonderful. I’ve been very happy.”
She speaks warmly of the front desk team, the housekeeping staff, and the administrators who go out of their way to make life easier. She is especially grateful for Pastor Mark, whose Bible studies and faithful visits to those who are ill mean a great deal to her.
And she has found community in everyday activities. She laughs as she talks about learning to use the Wii, joining the bowling team, and playing bingo and dominoes. “I encourage new people to join in,” she said. “It’s such a nice way to meet others.”
Eileen’s days often begin with a simple prayer: Lord, show me who needs help today.
She assists a close friend in a wheelchair, brings meals when needed, and shops for neighbors who can no longer go out. Sometimes she simply sits and talks with residents who need company. “People need some kind of social life,” she said. “I try to be there for them.”
