Heritage Pointe Receptionist Carries on Family Tradition of Caring for Others

Continuing a family legacy of service that spans three generations, Bonnie Meyers takes pride in welcoming residents, families and staff in her part-time role as a receptionist at Heritage Pointe of Warren, the senior living community where her grandmother and mother once worked. 

Meyers’ connection to the community began decades before she joined the staff. Her grandmother, Celia Rublek, worked as an administrative assistant to longtime administrator Dewey Souder, who served until 1965, when the community was known as the United Methodist Memorial Home. Her mother, Anne Brauchla, was a seamstress who oversaw the community’s sewing room and later became a resident. “I was married in the Applegate Chapel at Heritage Pointe in 1972, by the Reverend Souder, the administrator at that time,” she says. 

Growing up in Warren, Meyers often visited Heritage Pointe, where she had experiences that sparked her interest in caring for older adults. 

“I really liked the older people, and they really liked visiting with younger people,” she says. 

Meyers, 73, and her husband, David, moved to a villa at Heritage Pointe in 2017, attracted by the community’s amenities and a view of the 9-hole golf course. Retirement, however, didn’t suit them. 

“We thought we’d retire, golf and goof off. After a year, we thought, ‘That’s not for us,’” she says. 

A former certified nursing assistant who spent 15 years working at Heritage Pointe, Meyers accepted a receptionist position when the opportunity arose in 2019. She was already volunteering in the gift shop and helping with activities. 

“I wanted to be out of the house and be active,” she says. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she staffed the entrance to the skilled nursing at Heritage Pointe, screening visitors and ensuring masks and temperature checks were completed. Today, she greets visitors at the front desk, assists residents, answers phones and provides clerical support. She easily got to know the residents and their loved ones. She views the front desk as a critical link for families. “We are a lifeline for families when they call or come in,” she says. 

Meyers is also deeply involved in the wider Warren community. She recently led the effort to create the city’s new Veterans Memorial Park, inspired in part by her husband’s service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. During her visits to other small towns that have veterans’ memorials, she wondered why Warren didn’t.  

“I’m very passionate about it,” she says. “I see how much it means to veterans’ families.” 

She also serves on the Warren Library Board, is active in her church and stays fit with chair yoga and swimming at Heritage Pointe. Her husband continues to work part-time and enjoys spending time in their villa’s spacious garage. 

“There is a lot of room to work on stuff,” he says. “I like fixing things.”  

Home maintenance is one of the many conveniences the couple values at Heritage Pointe. “They do everything for us,” Meyers says.  

As receptionist, Meyers hopes her work reflects the standard of care she believes defines Heritage Pointe, which offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled nursing.  

“It’s the way they serve people and do things that stands out,” she says. “They treat people with dignity 24/7.”