Jerry Sachs Obit Praises AssistHers

"Jerry E. (Geraldean) Sachs
JERRY (GERALDEAN) E. SACHS A charismatic personality and ageless beauty, passed away on October 14, 2007 at her home in Webster. She was previously a resident of Houston for 45 years, having settled there in 1961 from New York City after travelling widely in Europe. In 1980 she became a successful realtor operating out of the home in Montrose-Hyde Park which she designed and built. Her company, Sachs Investment Real Estate, closed in 2000. Jerry was known for her exquisite style, her worldliness, her pleasure in entertaining guests, her sparkling sense of humor, and her all-around enjoyment of life. Everyone that knew Jerry Sachs will always remember her as someone who played a unique role in their lives. She is survived by her son, Alan Sachs of Astoria N.Y., and by Charles Emerich, Missy Gentile, and Larry Lamb, her devoted friends for decades, and many others. She was also grateful to the volunteer organization AssistHers for its invaluable help and companionship in the last years of her life. It was her express wish that no funeral service be held. Online tributes may be posted at www.bradshawcarter.com. Published in the Houston Chronicle on 10/25/2007. "

We never know why we get into the situations we do, but many times the outcome is spectacular. I met Jerry as a result of AssistHers. When I went to visit her initially, I asked her why she had no one around to see to her. She said, "Sometimes, you outlive your friends." I got to know her better one day when I was asked to take her to an emergency doctor visit. She was very grand, very dressed up, very gracious, and very scared. After she found out all was OK, she verbally toured me through some of her life experiences as we made some trips around to get her banking and food needs attended to. We did have some mutual friends and made a connection that way.

When AssistHers began helping her, she was just thrilled. For once in a long while, she felt safe and very grateful for the help. Her son wrote a wonderful note about how happy he was that she had help and was no longer on her own. At that time, I think she was 80 years old and all alone, could not drive anymore, and trying to figure out how she would survive.

When she moved to Clear Lake to an upscale assisted living place, she connected with my friend, Joe Collins, who also knew some of Jerry's friends. They visited back and forth, helped each other, and she attended his birthday party. She was always interested in what Joe and I were doing, and was game for doing what she could to go along with him and/or me.

She was a very private person but told him of some of her adventures while living in Europe. They had traveled in similar places, so they had that in common. She had met Hedy Lamarr and other celebrities, she lived in Europe and NYC, and she never complained or whined about anything or about her frailties.

I am a huge fan of AssistHers because along with Angel Flight, there are no groups in town that do more to help other people. AssistHers people do this out of their own pockets, their own time, and huge hearts. AssistHers helped Jerry enjoy what was left of her life, gave her safety and a feeling that people again care for her, and in turn we all were greatly enriched with knowing her.

Dr. KVC

Obituary for Jeanette Winfree

Jeanette WinfreeGALVESTON — Jeanette Winfree passed away on August 21, 2007, after a long illness. She was born and raised in Orange, Texas, graduated from Sam Houston State University, followed by a move to Galveston, where she obtained a second degree in physical therapy in 1961 from The University of Texas Medical Branch. Jeanette was an entrepreneur at heart, having learned early from her father, who gave her responsibility for running the family meat market at the age of 16. She used this business acumen to open a private practice in physical therapy in 1964, one of the very first woman-owned private practices in the country at that time. Jeanette was one of the first in the nation to realize the tremendous value of exercise and physical fitness for the elderly. In 1966 she established a women’s fitness program in the YMCA and in that same year established the Medicare home health program for the city of Galveston. In the 1980’s she was instrumental in developing a therapeutic horseback riding program for brain injured individuals. During her career, she provided quality care to generations of Galvestonians and was known for her ethical, caring practice. She mentored hundreds of students and colleagues who sought her clinical and management expertise. She served her profession from the local to the national and international levels through the American Physical Therapy Association and World Confederation for Physical Therapy. To honor her dedication and service, the Texas Physical Therapy Association established a Jeanette Winfree Service Award which is given annually to a physical therapist who embodies the standard of service which Jeanette set.In recognition of her tremendous influence, a group of alumni and friends are honoring Jeanette’s unrelenting service to the profession, school and community by creating at UTMB the Jeanette Winfree Distinguished Professorship in Physical Therapy.Jeanette is survived by her colleague and partner of many years, Madeleine Baker; her brother Lester “Buckshot” Winfree and wife Barbara; her beloved nieces Leslie Holtkamp and Elizabeth Neely; and nephew Will Winfree, and their families. She is also survived by her beloved aunt, Ellen Ratcliff. Special thanks are due to the caring staffs of Libbie’s Place in Galveston and The Cottages at Clear Lake in League City. We are also indebted to the devoted service of her caregiver Bettye Greer. A memorial service for Jeanette will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 502 Church St. in Galveston from 7-9 pm on Friday evening, August 31. Donations in lieu of flowers may be directed to the Jeanette Winfree Distinguished Professorship Fund at UTMB in Galveston.
Published August 23, 2007, Galveston News