Resident Spotlight: Lucile Garrison is Living Life to the Fullest in Assisted Living

One of the best things about senior living communities is that you get to meet so many new and interesting people. Whether you move to Magnolia Manor as a resident, or you work here, or even if you’re a visiting family member or friend, you immediately realize you are surrounded by unique life stories.

And who doesn’t love a good story? That’s why we always highlight residents in our quarterly Manor Living magazine. And from time to time, we like to introduce residents to our blog readers as well. So let’s meet Lucile Garrison.

A Long-Time Resident

Lucile first joined our Magnolia Manor family when she moved to independent living in Americus. She had a garden apartment there, where she lived for 13 years. However, for the past four years she has been an assisted living resident at our Columbus campus. She says the two communities are quite different, but both have a lot to offer.

“There are lots of things to do in Americus,” Lucile recalls. She loves going to church. In Americus she could attend services and sing in the choir at the on-campus chapel as well as visit her favorite church in town. That’s what she misses most about living in Americus. Columbus is a rather small community with 44 assisted living residents. While there is no formal chapel on campus, the chaplain does conduct services regularly for residents, like Lucile, who wish to attend.

The best thing about living in Columbus is that it puts Lucile close to one of her sons who lives locally. Her other two children both live in Oregon, along with her grandchildren. She also has great-grandkids there – five boys and one girl. Here at home, her son brings her things she needs from town, especially apples. Lucile loves apples and says that the old adage about an apple a day has worked well for her. “They keep me going,” she claims.

“A Native Georgian, Well-Traveled

Lucile was born and raised in Cuthbert (in Randolph County). But her horizons expanded when she married a military man. Her husband served in the military for 22 years, during which time they lived “all over the world” and in all but five US states. Lucile herself drove a school bus for 22 years, mostly serving handicapped children. Imagine how many kids she got to know over those years!

These days, as she has throughout her life, Lucile loves to read. “My eyes don’t let me read as much as I used to,” she admits. However, when she spent 59 days in the hospital after being hit by a car and having her thigh crushed, she read an entire book every day.

Some of her favorite reading material is Manor Living, the magazine we mentioned earlier. She never misses an issue when it comes out and says “the fun part is seeing people you know.”

“Lucile has always liked to sew as well. In Americus she belonged to the sewing club, where members mended jeans, hemmed up skirts and dresses, etc. for fellow residents. One time, she ripped apart a brand new pair of blue jeans and took them up in the back to make them smaller for a man who had purchased the wrong size but couldn’t afford to return them.

“I’m not getting any younger,” Lucile admits when asked if she has any big plans now that the pandemic is lifting and things are opening up. She is more than glad to be rid of mask-wearing! And since she loves people, she is looking forward to getting out more, especially visiting church in town.

Gaining Independence with Assisted Living

At Magnolia Manor, assisted living doesn’t mean losing your independence. It means you get the help you need, when you need it, so you can continue to live your golden years to the fullest. You and your loved ones will have peace of mind knowing that care is available as your needs change. To learn more about our Columbus campus or one of our other eight senior living communities, contact us online or give us a call at 855-540-LIFE (5433).