DOROTHY AND BILL NIEDERMAIR, WYATT HOUSE
Dorothy and Bill both were born in New York.
Dorothy’s parents were Norwegian, and so the
family returned to Norway, where the family
made their home in Bergen. Dorothy was an
only child but had many aunts, uncles and
cousins. She excelled in school and still shares
her love of European and world history. When
she was 13, her idyllic childhood was shattered
by the Nazi invasion.
Bill’s family lived on Staten Island and then
moved to Washington DC. Bill was the eldest
brother of eight lively brothers and sisters.
They spanned in age, but Billy, as he was called,
was the idol of all. Bill was the quarterback of
his football team at Woodrow Wilson High.
He attended the University of Maryland and
was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
During World War II, Bill worked at Gibbs and
Cox, a naval design firm, and then joined the
army where he was stationed at Los Alamos.
After the war, both returned to New York,
where they met and married. They made their
first home in Greenwich Village, and then moved
to Washington DC, where their daughter, Terry,
was born. In 1962, the family moved to
Bainbridge Island, where Bill developed and
operated a hydrofoil that made scheduled runs
between Seattle and Victoria. Bainbridge Island
has been their home since then. They are greatly
loved and admired by their family and friends
and proudly boast two great granddaughters.
“In the New Year, you carry all of the experiences of the past years
and that is the greatest power of every New Year!
This year again, you are less student and more master!”
- Mehmet Murat ildan,
Contemporary Turkish playwright and novelist
Jan. & Feb. 2015
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND SENIOR LIVING ACTIVITY OUTINGS A HIT
Residents from Bainbridge Senior Living facilities have been enjoying various planned outings. Madison resident
Bill Cassella was escorted by son Kent Cassella to the opera outing and says, “We really enjoyed it. It’s an amazing
opportunity to see live performances of not only opera but Broadway shows.” The BSL bus, filled with residents,
laughter and good times, have enjoyed outings such as the Metropolitan Opera of Carmen at Bainbridge Island
Cinema, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Gardens, the Suquamish Museum and Chief
Sealth Monument; Bainbridge Island Art Museum, Port Gamble and the Mercantile for lunch, and to Silverdale
and Poulsbo for shopping excursions.
L-R: Port Gamble historic
mill town; Wyatt House
residents Martha Williams
and Katherine Hanson
Martha Williams, Wyatt House,
thought the outing to Port
Gamble was “a delightful trip”.
“…it is a lovely and interesting
historical town. It was my first visit
there. It was also nice to meet
some of the residents of Madison
Avenue House.” Wyatt House
resident, Katherine Hanson says
of the Bainbridge Gardens outing,
“I’ve lived on Bainbridge my entire
life and always enjoyed visiting
Bainbridge Gardens. It was
wonderful to visit there again.”
SOL JOHNSON, RN AT MADRONA HOUSE
RECEIVES FLOWERS AND A NOTE OF GRATITUDE
A thoughtful note accompanied a bouquet of roses, lilies and
Gerbera daisies recently sent to Sol Johnson, R.N. at Madrona
House. “To let you know how thankful I am for all that you do…
I know we families can be tough to deal with… we care about
our loved ones… you handle it all with stride, remaining calm,
the voice of reason and experience. I am grateful for your
wisdom in caring for those with Alzheimer’s.”
For a full calendar of events visit: bainbridgeseniorliving.com/calendars
JOHN GOYETTE, R.N., DIRECTOR OF RESIDENT
SERVICES, MADISON AVENUE HOUSE
GUY AND DIANE HAM, MADISON AVENUE HOUSE
MADISON HOUSE BIRTHDAYS
One day John Goyette, RN
walked into the forest to
hunt and came back a
photographer. Evidence
of his passion for nature
and wildlife decorate his
office walls.
One day, after being a
firefighter for 26 years,
John decided to continue
in his medical background
and become an RN. His
expertise was put to use in
putting together a hospital
Cathlab, then Risk Manager
for a LTC facility.
John was born in Fresno,
CA. At age 17, he joined
the Navy – serving our
country at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Possibly, through all of these
experiences, John adopted his motto, “Treat everyone with respect.
Treat them and take care of them as if they were your own family.” Fond
memories of his father taking him, his brothers and sister to see sprint car
races, as well as camping and skiing outings, further imprinted on him
respect for family and nature.
John and his wife Debbie of 26 years live on Island Lake near Silverdale
and, one day his love of nature inspired him to create a beautiful Koi pond
on their property in a space where nothing would grow. It’s this same
passion, respect, creativity and expertise that John brings to his job as
Director of Resident Services.
Renee Gustafson, 1/2
Trissa Haeffling, 1/13
Sylvia Broady, 2/1
Helen Kinsley, 2/2
Berlett Tice, 2/17
Guy Ham, 2/24
MADRONA HOUSE BIRTHDAYS
NZ Carol, 1/16
Natalie Cosman, 2/5
Rich Fallows, 2/15
Betty Louden, 2/19
Sharon Abrams, 2/20
Frank Whitman, 2/23
Beverly Lane, 2/25
THE WYATT HOUSE BIRTHDAYS
Geneva Lowe, 1/7
Alice Childs, 1/11
Marilu Hartsock, 1/27
Katie Hogart, 2/21
BSL STAFF BIRTHDAYS:
Linda Wohlsen, 1/2
Glynis Burns, 1/3
Linda Wakefield, 1/9
Angie Hernandez, 1/13
Tony Iallonarndo, 1/16
Sue Suffis, 1/17
Ariel Granberg, 1/28
Joy Trapp, 2/25
Bonnie Deveny, 2/28
Guy and Diane Ham met through friends at a going away party at the Seattle PI
newspaper and it was “like at first sight”. Through a number of get-togethers,
including an outing to La Connor to meet Guy’s friend, author Tom Robbins, Diane
and Guy soon became close friends. A few weeks later Diane moved to the Navajo
Reservation in New Mexico to teach. Guy, being born and raised in Texas, was happy
to fly to New Mexico to show her around. It was on his second visit that he proposed.
Their love of France inspired them to visit five times. They say, “We like the reasonableness of the French people –
their logic.” They enjoy getting to know the people and culture. They traded homes for 6 weeks in order to live in
a small village near Lyon, rented a house in Provence, and became close friends with a French author living in Paris
who wrote, “A Guide to the Impressionist Landscape” – a book they treasure because it gave them information for
day trips from Paris to the sites that inspired 19th Century paintings.
Guy was a copy editor for 33 years for the Seattle PI. He began his career in Fort Worth as a copy boy and, after
visiting the northwest on a newspaper junket when he was 29, decided Seattle was to be his home. While Guy was
busy editing, Diane was teaching English on the island of Crete and then in Forks, WA. She later worked in a Native
American Art store in Seattle for 20 years.
Their home is reflective of their life and 43 years of marriage. Native American art, rugs and paintings, pottery, plus
a loving fondness for each other radiates throughout their home. They have a son, Kent, a daughter, Deirdre,
2 grandsons and twin 4-year-old great-granddaughters, all in the Seattle area. Their daughter, Deirdre, works at
BPA hence their move to Madison Avenue House, which they are enjoying.
LOIS CORNPROPST R.N., DIRECTOR OF RESIDENT SERVICES, WYATT HOUSE
Lois Cornpropst has arrived with a flare to be the Wyatt House’s Director of Nursing. Not
only does she have extraordinary nursing experiences, she has style, charm and a fabulous
sense of humor. Lois was born and raised in a small farming town in Indiana. Loving
animals, her first career choice was to be a veterinarian, but her allergies prevented this.
At the age of twelve, she joined a group at her school called, “Gold Teens.” They were a
group of students who went to the local nursing home to cheer up the residents through
singing, polishing the ladies’ nails, or reading to them. At 16, her first job was working in
the local hospital. These two experiences helped her realize that she loves to serve and care
for others. In Lois’ words, it has been a lifelong passion to “walk their journey with them.”
Twelve years ago, Lois’ husband was transferred to Seattle for his work. Their decision to live on Bainbridge Island
was based on the outstanding schools here. At that time, their youngest son was a freshman in high school. Their
oldest was already in university. Now her boys are grown and she is the proud nana of a six year old named Dallas.
They live in Indiana and Lois will hop a plane to visit them whenever possible. Lois makes it clear that her faith,
family and passion for nursing are her great loves. In Lois’ free time, she likes to garden and play her tenor sax.
We are blessed to have this compassionate and talented nurse to direct our nursing team at The Wyatt House.