ALBANY - Ruth Beckman volunteered and started as St. Patrick's Catholic Church's first parish nurse on Sept. 5, 1999, and 10 years to the day she is retiring as essentially the community's parish nurse.
That alone tells you how Beckman operates - organized, focused, precise and driven.
What started out as a position with St. Patrick's turned into a service she provided through all four Albany parishes, including Albany Lutheran Church, Hilltop Community Church, and the United Methodist Church.
"We have truly been blessed in so many ways by Ruth," said Father Mick Moon of St. Patrick's. "Not only is she generous with her time, she is very knowledgeable as a registered nurse. Ruth was always willing to provide services in all areas, including helping people organize their medications, making suggestions about lifestyle changes, and to provide community resources. The people in the community needed the support of a knowledgeable person like Ruth who was always there."
As retirement day fast approaches, Beckman thoughtfully reviews the past 10 years.
"I have truly enjoyed my time as the first Albany Parish Nurse," said Beckman, who earned her nursing degree from Elgin Community College in 1974. "I could not have done this without the cooperation of the ministers of the four churches."
Beckman previously worked in the oncology department at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin, Ill.; as a rehabilitation coordinator at Holy Family Health Center in Des Plaines, Ill., and as a utilization review nurse at Lutheran General in Park Ridge, Ill.
"Ruth earned the trust of a lot of people by being genuine, taking a personal interest in people, and by being very knowledgeable - she is a role model of the virtue of generosity," added Father Moon.
Dee Vetter, who husband is the minister at Albany Lutheran Church, mentioned that when Beckman saw similar stress symptoms in residents she became the "moving force" behind bringing a tai chi balance program to Albany. The group has meet for five years at 4 p.m. every Wednesday at the Albany Lutheran Church.
"What Ruth has brought to our community has enabled us to help ourselves," Vetter said. "Retirement is wonderful for Ruth, but a huge loss for our community"
Beckman also works at the Albany Thrift Store, is a member of the Chamber of Commerce Revitalization Committee, and is president of the Albany Historical Society.
Rick Gleason, Hilltop Community Church minister, said "the people of Albany have gained a lot from Ruth's dedication as a parish nurse during the last 10 years and we will miss her greatly."
Pat Soddy, minister at the United Methodist Church, said it will "be hard to replace Ruth" as parish nurse.
"The people in the community really appreciate Ruth and she will be greatly missed," Soddy said.
During the years, Beckman has logged her miles and hours making contacts and taking blood pressure readings. Her peak was in 2002, when she logged more than 1,600 miles, made 684 contacts, and took 510 blood pressures.
Beckman said she stopped taking monthly blood pressure screenings at the four churches this summer because of graduations, holidays and vacations.
"Then I became ill with Lyme disease, which used up the month of July. That's when I decided it was time to retire," Beckman said.
Beckman bought an empty lot along the Sugar River in 1976 for her retreat, first building a wigwam and then, in 1992, she built her home.
"I did all of the landscaping by myself," Beckman said proudly.
As she thought about retirement, she said she will enjoy the variety of birds, especially the sand hill cranes, and the occasional coyotes that visit her.
As a final reflection, Beckman said "there never was a hard part to being the parish nurse - it was always very rewarding and I also want people to know that they can always still call me."
"Ruth has gone about being the parish nurse in such a caring way," Father Moon said. "The people of Albany appreciate that tremendously."
That alone tells you how Beckman operates - organized, focused, precise and driven.
What started out as a position with St. Patrick's turned into a service she provided through all four Albany parishes, including Albany Lutheran Church, Hilltop Community Church, and the United Methodist Church.
"We have truly been blessed in so many ways by Ruth," said Father Mick Moon of St. Patrick's. "Not only is she generous with her time, she is very knowledgeable as a registered nurse. Ruth was always willing to provide services in all areas, including helping people organize their medications, making suggestions about lifestyle changes, and to provide community resources. The people in the community needed the support of a knowledgeable person like Ruth who was always there."
As retirement day fast approaches, Beckman thoughtfully reviews the past 10 years.
"I have truly enjoyed my time as the first Albany Parish Nurse," said Beckman, who earned her nursing degree from Elgin Community College in 1974. "I could not have done this without the cooperation of the ministers of the four churches."
Beckman previously worked in the oncology department at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elgin, Ill.; as a rehabilitation coordinator at Holy Family Health Center in Des Plaines, Ill., and as a utilization review nurse at Lutheran General in Park Ridge, Ill.
"Ruth earned the trust of a lot of people by being genuine, taking a personal interest in people, and by being very knowledgeable - she is a role model of the virtue of generosity," added Father Moon.
Dee Vetter, who husband is the minister at Albany Lutheran Church, mentioned that when Beckman saw similar stress symptoms in residents she became the "moving force" behind bringing a tai chi balance program to Albany. The group has meet for five years at 4 p.m. every Wednesday at the Albany Lutheran Church.
"What Ruth has brought to our community has enabled us to help ourselves," Vetter said. "Retirement is wonderful for Ruth, but a huge loss for our community"
Beckman also works at the Albany Thrift Store, is a member of the Chamber of Commerce Revitalization Committee, and is president of the Albany Historical Society.
Rick Gleason, Hilltop Community Church minister, said "the people of Albany have gained a lot from Ruth's dedication as a parish nurse during the last 10 years and we will miss her greatly."
Pat Soddy, minister at the United Methodist Church, said it will "be hard to replace Ruth" as parish nurse.
"The people in the community really appreciate Ruth and she will be greatly missed," Soddy said.
During the years, Beckman has logged her miles and hours making contacts and taking blood pressure readings. Her peak was in 2002, when she logged more than 1,600 miles, made 684 contacts, and took 510 blood pressures.
Beckman said she stopped taking monthly blood pressure screenings at the four churches this summer because of graduations, holidays and vacations.
"Then I became ill with Lyme disease, which used up the month of July. That's when I decided it was time to retire," Beckman said.
Beckman bought an empty lot along the Sugar River in 1976 for her retreat, first building a wigwam and then, in 1992, she built her home.
"I did all of the landscaping by myself," Beckman said proudly.
As she thought about retirement, she said she will enjoy the variety of birds, especially the sand hill cranes, and the occasional coyotes that visit her.
As a final reflection, Beckman said "there never was a hard part to being the parish nurse - it was always very rewarding and I also want people to know that they can always still call me."
"Ruth has gone about being the parish nurse in such a caring way," Father Moon said. "The people of Albany appreciate that tremendously."