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Millhaven woman retires after 36 years Featured
Connie Jensen might be retiring from her job, but she isn’t retiring from her passion to help others.
Speaking from Helen Henderson Care Centre where she has worked for the past 36 years as a support worker in a health care setting, her face is kind, and her laugh is genuine when she talks about her life and career, both of which are about to change when she retires on March 1, 2025.
“It’s scary,” Connie confesses from Helen Henderson Care Centre, a retirement lodge and long-term care home in Amherstview. “I’ve done the same thing for a long time: get up, dress and come to work. It’s going to be strange when this routine comes to an end. I’m going to miss everyone. This is my second home; the residents and staff are my second family. It doesn’t mean I won’t come to visit…. I guess I’m trying to say that it’s scary, but exciting.”
A resident of Millhaven, Connie plans to fill her free time with chores and projects. She also plans to spend more time at the arena watching her grandson play hockey, and with her mother.
The proud mother of four children, eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren, Connie describes the source of her hardworking nature, “My mom is 83 and still works as a nurse. She’s planning to retire with me. I’m going to spend more time with her.”
Interestingly, Connie’s grandmother lived to 101 and her father-in-law didn’t retire until he was 90. Her husband, 70, is still working and extremely supportive of Connie.
Recalling her first day on the job, Connie notes, “When I first started washing dishes at Helen Henderson Care Centre, I was making $7 an hour. Over the years, the home has changed considerably. The place has grown, and departments have moved around.”
What hasn’t changed is Connie’s kind and helpful nature. Smiles reflect the happiness and pleasure she finds in a day; frowns are from the care and concern she feels for her family. Her face shows the difficult decision she is facing - she is torn between staying with a work family that she loves or moving on to a new chapter in her life.
She smiles when talking about the workplace she has enjoyed for the past 36 years, a place that is home to many of the milestones in her life such as her marriage in the chapel, baby shower and three boxes of desserts presented by a coworker for her daughter’s wedding.
“I’ve lost some good friends here, but I have also found friends who will last a lifetime,” she says nostalgically.
The 64-year-old laughs describing how she washed dishes until she was eight months pregnant. “My arms couldn’t reach after that,” she says with a chuckle.
In the end, it might be her body that overrides her willpower to stay in a place that has been such an important part of her life. Appearing slightly uncomfortable talking about herself, Connie admits, “I need double knee surgery. I have had arthritis since I was a kid. I’m on the waiting list and can’t wait to have it done. I love to dance. Right now, it’s kind of hard.”
Walking with a slight limp the back of the kitchen for a picture in her workstation, Connie notes with her trademark smile, “I’m on my third dishwasher. Before I go, I want a sign placed on my dish room door that says Connie’s Office.”
“It’s hard to imagine the kitchen without Connie, she’s made such a huge contribution in so many ways,” says Shaun Stephenson, Connie’s supervisor and the home’s Food Service Nutrition Manager. “Although we’ll all miss Connie, it’s nice to see her have this well-deserved break.”
Speaking on behalf of the home, Administrator Lisa Gibson adds, “Connie will be greatly missed at Helen Henderson by both residents and staff as she has been a piece of the fabric that has made our home a home for 36 years. I hope she enjoys her well-deserved retirement with her family, that she is so proud of, and can take time for herself to continue to do the things that she loves.”
Helen Henderson Care Centre is grateful for the good work of Connie Jensen who has helped our home run smoothly for 36 years. Residents and staff wish her a happy and healthy retirement. To learn more about living or working in our home, please call 613-384-4585.