Sue Sheidler has spent the past 11 years serving tirelessly on the United Church Homes Board of Directors. Throughout her tenure, Sue has served on every committee, including as chair of the nominating committee from 2009 – 2019. She was Board secretary from 2014 – 2018.

Sue’s background in nursing helped her contributions to the Board, she said. She started working as a nurse aide at age 16, graduated from nursing school at the University of Toledo and worked nearly every area of nursing, primarily in medical-surgical nursing. Sue then contributed to staff development for several years before retiring as vice president of nursing at Fisher-Titus Medical Center, a hospital in Norwalk, Ohio.

Along with being an acute care hospital, Fisher-Titus has assisted living, long-term care and skilled nursing.

“People often ask me if I had to do it all over again, would I go into nursing?” Sue said. “The answer has always been yes, I would. Nursing has the ability to get you into just about any area of healthcare.”

Sue grew up in the United Church of Christ. After she started attending St. John’s UCC in Milan, Sue became deeply familiar with the excellent care provided at United Church Homes communities. St. John’s regularly donated canned goods and visited residents at Fairhaven.

“When I was asked to join the Board, my husband had been ill, and we knew his health was declining. I was looking for something to do where I wouldn’t be gone all the time, so I could still be available for him,” said Sue. “I was reading devotions one morning and one said there are different ways to serve. I took that as a sign to see what I could do on the Board.”

Many years later, Sue has learned to appreciate UCH’s affordable housing ministry.

“Affordable housing was one of the most impactful areas for me,” Sue said. “I knew about the senior living side from my experience in nursing, but I had not been involved with affordable housing.”

Sue traveled with the Board on several visits to UCH affordable housing communities. She said talking to those residents made the biggest impact on her. “Sometimes that’s the only way they have any place to live,” she said. “Those learning experiences remind you about the increasing need for affordable housing.”