Residents ’ Review
February 2021
Volume 34 , Issue 2
Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility is an affiliate of CMH , Bolivar , Mo ., 417-326-6000 Facility Location : 1218 W . Locust St ., Bolivar , MO 65613 , 417-326-7648
D o r o t h y B e e s l e y R e s i d e n t o f t h e M o n t h
Dorothy Beesley was born March 29 , 1959 , in Bolivar , Missouri to Homer and Willa Manes . Homer was a farmer who milked cows and put up hay . He also worked at Ables ’ s Feed Store , Bill ’ s Feed and Bolivar Milling . Willa worked at the Bolivar garment factory . Dorothy is the youngest of her three sisters , Jean , Connie and Joann and her brother Sidney .
Dorothy had a lot of fun riding a motorcycle at age 15 . She constructed a ramp and made many jumps over it until she crashed . As soon as her dad saw what happened , he told her to shut it off because he was selling it . Shortly after , it was sold . She attended Bolivar schools through her sophomore year . In the beginning of her junior year , she decided to quit school and go to work because she felt she wasn ’ t learning as much as she could . At sixteen years old she began working at the garment factory , where her mother worked and worked there until its closing when she was 24 years old . She then began working at Mashburn Residential Learning Center where she worked with the clients cooking their meals and also as a Med Tech , passing them meds . She enjoyed that job so much that she worked there for approximately 20 years .
Dorothy married John Hicks in 1980 , and the couple were blessed with two children , Junior and Amanda . Their marriage ended in divorce a few years later . In 1988 , she met the love of her life , Donnie Beesley . His mother , who was friends with Dorothy ’ s ex-mother-in-law , called her one day and said she had someone that wanted to talk to her . She handed Donnie the phone and they talked for two hours . They continued talking on the phone over the next few days . One evening she invited him over for supper and before he left , he was lying on the floor playing hot wheels with Junior . She knew from that moment he was a keeper and it was love at first sight . After a short two months of dating , Donnie proposed to her at her house and they were married on June 1 , 1988 . He told her that they could move her house to his land in the country , so that is what they did . His father also lived on the property . He had a bad hip and it was hard for him to get around , so Dorothy helped take care of him . Donnie had always loved kids and wanted another one . Three years into their marriage , they welcomed their sweet daughter , Jessi . Their family grew by six when they were blessed with their grandchildren Demara , Johnnie , Paisley , Payson , Jasmine and Tiffany . Dorothy said her grandkids are her life .
One of the funniest memories she recalls with her children occurred on one of their many trips to Silver Dollar City . They were waiting in a crowded line to get into a show and when the doors opened , she pushed Jessi ahead of her to follow the line and grabbed what she thought was Amanda ’ s jacket behind her pulling her along . She was hurrying to get to the seats she wanted , when she saw Amanda in front of her and said , “ Mom what are you doing ?” Dorothy turned around and realized that the coat she was pulling was the coat of an older gentleman who politely smiled at her as she let go . She gave he and his wife the choice seats she was preparing to sit in , for the embarrassing mix-up and she and the kids sat behind them .
Dorothy has always enjoyed taking care of cows and other animals on the farm , making crafts , playing bingo and other games and listening to a variety of music . She is very compassionate and kind to her fellow residents and the staff at CMHCF . She loves to have fun , make people smile and get to know people and make them feel comfortable .
Dorothy joined our CMHCF family in November 2019 and said that her favorite part of living here is the friendly staff . She said , “ It feels like a family here .”
Congratulations , Dorothy on being chosen as our resident of the month .
Are you a caring individual who would like to assist in caring for the elderly ? Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility has opportunities in its volunteer and nursing program .
For more information call Jeff Miller , administrator , at 417-326-7648 .