Residents’
Review
February 2019
Volume 32, Issue 2
Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility is an affiliate of CMH, Bolivar, Mo., 417-326-6000
Facility Location: 1218 West Locust, Bolivar, MO 65613, 417-326-7648
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Resident of the Month 1
Activity Photos 2
Employee Spotlight 3
Announcements 4
Calendar of Events 5
Birthdays 6
New Residents 6
Discharges 6
Sympathy 6
Our Mission
Caring for every generation
through exceptional services by
leading physicians and a
compassionate healthcare team.
Our Vision
Be the first choice for customer
focused healthcare to every
generation.
Our Values
I am...
P ositive
R espectful
I nnovative
D edicated
E mpowered
Together, we are CMH PRIDE!
Ella Simhiser
Resident of the Month
Ella Simhiser was born in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22, 1944, to
Ruby Ella Smith Taylor and Marion Oscar Taylor. Ella was the
younger of her two sisters, Melva Charlene and Tressa Darlene.
When Ella was a little over a year old, her mother died giving birth to
her baby brother Charles Raymond who also passed away. Her moth-
er had also been bitten by a black widow spider which contributed to
her death. Ruby worked for Hallmark in Kansas City designing greet-
ing cards until her death when she was only 28 years old. Ella’s fa-
ther was killed in a riot in 1967 in Kansas City along with his mother
and nephew. Due to the untimely death of her parents, Ella and her
sisters were raised by their maternal grandparents until Ella was 7 or
8, then her Aunt Bertha and Uncle Lou took her in and raised her
until she was 10 or 11. She then moved back in with her grandparents
until her early marriage to Wylie Bill Simhiser.
Wylie and Ella met when he brought his sister to her house to see
if she could stay with Ella’s family, since she had a job that was
close. Ella was babysitting two children at the time. Wylie brought his girlfriend along for the trip, but
couldn’t keep his eyes off Ella. A few days later, Wylie told Ella that his girlfriend had taken his Navy
hat and wouldn’t give it back. On the way home from school the next day Ella met up with her and as
the other students cheered her on, she was able to get Wylie’s hat back. Wylie and Ella were insepara-
ble after the hat incident. He helped her with her homework, took her to the movies, and shared many
fun times together. Ella’s grandmother soon moved to the nursing home leaving her no place to live
unless she were to move away, so Ella and Wylie decided it was time to get married. Ella was only 13
years old and Wylie was 17 so Ella’s grandmother went with them to Miami, Okla.,to the courthouse
to get married. When the judge asked her grandmother if she had legal papers on Ella, she replied no,
but she raised her. The judge informed them that he was not able to marry them. The next day, the
three of them drove to Girard, Kan., to the Justice of the Peace and he was unable to marry them for
the same reason. The following day they decided not to take Ella’s grandmother drove to Girard, Kan.,
to see a lawyer and told his secretary that she was 18 and he was 19. The lawyer said ok and married
them with his secretary as the witness. The lawyer asked his secretary to take their wedding picture.
Ella was married in a beautiful purple and white dress which is her favorite color.
The house that Wylie and Ella lived in after they were married had no running water and no inside
toilet. The couple had a wood stove with a flat top to cook on and had a portable oven to sit on top of
the stove where she could bake. Over the next several years, Ella gave birth to their five children Con-
nie, Norman, Wylie Jr., Michelle, and Raymond. Wylie was unable to buy Ella a wedding ring when
they were married so after the kids were born, he bought her a beautiful wedding set and a three ce-
ramic owls that sat down inside one another. He and the kids put the rings in a box inside the smallest
ceramic owl and wrapped them. She began to remove the paper from one owl at a time. Each time,
Wylie said there was more to unwrap. When she got to the smallest one, she found the box and opened
it and was so surprised. She gave him a hug and a kiss and the kids cheered. She was so happy that she
finally got the ring set she had always wanted.
“The highlight of my life was marrying Wylie,” said Ella. “He made everything alright.” The cou-
ple always had a huge garden, did a lot of canning, sold at the farmer’s market, and remodeled houses.
“We spent many hours at home, with what seemed like the whole town of kids, playing games. The
kids never wanted to go home because they always had so much fun.” Wylie worked for the county
and then for Midwestern trucking company as a mechanic. Ella was a Nurse Aide at a Nursing Home
in Fort Scott, Kan., after she raised her kids for 10 years making only $4.10 an hour. Ella also spent
many hours crocheting beautiful doll clothing as a hobby.
Ella joined our family at CMHCF in Oct. of 2017 and she loves the friendly staff and residents the
most. She also enjoys playing bingo, attending music events, and visiting with everyone.
Congratulations Ella on being chosen as our February Resident of the Month!