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ARTICLES |
Philanthropy at a Glance |
Beloved Patient Leaves Unexpected Bequest
Adelbert “Curly” C. Snell was a patient at The donation surprised Barb James, one of the nurses who helped care for the retired truck driver. “I didn’t think he had that kind of money,” she said. James said Snell “was a cute little old guy. He liked to chat and was real friendly. If you just stood and talked with him, it made him feel better.” A World War II U.S. Army veteran, Snell lived most of his life in Rittman, working as a truck driver for several companies. His first wife, Dorothy, died in October 1990 and his second wife, Violet, died in August 2007. His nephew’s wife, Susan Snell, was working as a housekeeper at Wadsworth-Rittman and would visit her uncle during her lunchtime. One day she walked into the hospital room and heard her uncle crying as the doctor was explaining that he had only a few months to live. “He didn’t want to go into a nursing home,” said Susan, explaining that Violet had died in a nursing home. “I had to help him.” So while Susan continued to work full-time at the hospital, she spent her nights caring for Curley at his home. Those nights extended into daytime hours and she soon cut back her work hours and practically moved into the house to care for Curly, seeing her husband only briefly each day. Susan Snell said she and her uncle discussed the hospital donation. “I know he liked the nurses. Everybody was so good to him. He just thought the world of those people,” she said. Susan shares her uncle’s admiration of the Wadsworth-Rittman staff. “I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the hospital because they took such good care of my son,” who died there in 1995. “They took good care of me, too,” said Susan, a cancer survivor herself. For more information about planned giving and the Summa Wadsworth-Rittman Hospital Foundation, contact Dan Selby, executive director, at 330-331-1170 or dselby@wrhhs.org. | |
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