FOOS WAS presented with a homemade quilt, signed by her friends and coworkers and a poem written in her honor last Tuesday.

It takes a special person who would dedicate his or her life to helping and caring for others day after day. Doing it for 45 years seems almost impossible, but Dorthy Foos has accomplished that and has enjoyed every minute of it. She was honored for those years of service by Prairie View Care Center at an afternoon coffee on Tuesday. She was presented with a quilt signed by residents and staff members, a star pin and a poem written by long-time friend and colleague, Annie Podhradsky.
Dorthy is not a stranger in Woonsocket, as she grew up on a farm northwest of town and has lived here all her life. As a teenager, she worked at the Anderson Fur Farm in Mitchell a couple of winters cleaning and trimming mink, which was in demand in the eastern United States. The caregiver in her was strong and she also served as a nanny in Woonsocket for the Gerald Bollingers when they were away on trips and the Lloyd Hinker family, when their mother passed away at an early age.
In September of 1970, she began working at Prairie View Care Center as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and continued in that position for three years. Then she became the Activity and Social Director, planning activities and programs that would be enjoyed by the residents and meet their interests and needs. To become expert in this position, she attended training and workshops but also used her experience in “the school of hard knocks.” In 1974, she was one of the board members who created the first Activity Council in the South Dakota Healthcare Association that all nursing care facilities belong to and also held many offices on that Council.
During her early tenure at PVCC, Dorthy was also an activity consultant at Firesteel Healthcare in Mitchell and at the nursing home in White Lake. She also was instrumental in starting the swing bed program at Chamberlain and at the former Methodist Hospital in Mitchell. It’s obvious this woman has made a significant impact in many healthcare facilities and communities, not just in her hometown.
Dorthy gave up her position as Activity Director at PVCC seven years ago and now works three or four days a week in the laundry department and as a feeding assistant. The present Activity Director, Janet Baysinger, says Dorthy does her own jobs and helps out wherever she sees a need. Dorthy says she loves working there and doing what she can to make things easier for the residents and helping the staff.
Dorthy does not plan on permanently retiring any time soon. “Working keeps you from getting all stoved up,” she says. So this special woman with the beautiful, friendly smile and the kind, compassionate eyes will continue to cruise through the halls of Prairie View Care Center with her positive demeanor and make the life of those she meets and those she cares for a little more pleasant.