StoneBridge Senior Living’s Corrie Talken Carnival a success
Annual event honors the memory of a Helias Catholic grad who loved helping people
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StoneBridge Senior Living Activities Director Tammy Raithel was pleased with the turnout June 27 for the annual Corrie Talken Carnival at Westphalia in honor of the Fourth of July.
“A lot of people were worried about the weather since it rained, but the evening was very nice, and everyone had a great time,” said Ms. Raithel. “We’re overflowing with gratitude for everyone who played a part in turning this event into a reality.”
Hendrix Kloeppel, 3, and Zoey Backues, 2, were crowned Little Mister and Miss Firecracker.
Games and activities included bounce houses, skee-ball, basketball, a quarterback challenge, and a dunk tank.
The event was created in memory of Corrie Talken, a former activities director at the Westphalia facility.
She was tragically killed on July 5, 2014, in a Gasconade River boating accident that also claimed the life of Larry Hennier.
Her parents, Ron and Peggy Talken, came to terms with their daughter’s death with the understanding that her life had been dedicated to helping others.
“Like every young lady, every teen, she definitely pressed every button there was to press, but she truly was a genuinely kind-hearted girl, and she absolutely adored the elderly,” said Peggy. “I don’t know where that calling came from, but I’m sure glad she had it.”
Peggy suspects it began when Corrie was a student at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City.
As part of her community service, Corrie volunteered at what was then known as Westphalia Hills.
“She loved it so much that when she went to college, she had to find out what degree she could get to work with the elderly,” Peggy explained.
Peggy noted that her daughter earned a degree in family and child development.
“We joked that we spent $60,000 on her education so she could call bingo, but she loved it,” said Peggy.
Peggy taught Corrie empathy and understanding at an early age, and it stayed with her.
“I always taught my kids, I don’t care how mad you are, you give three kisses,” she said. “That means I love you. You don’t have to say the words, but yes, at least that’s what you’re going to do.
“And so she said, ‘I give (residents) three kisses every morning, and then, you know, it just seems to be enough for them at that point,’” Peggy recalled.
Corrie tried to visit each of her residents every morning for five or 10 minutes.
“I’m like, ‘Who raised this child?’” said Peggy.
Stars of the heavens
After Corrie died, over 2,000 people came to Taos to her visitation.
“We were not prepared for that,” said Peggy. “We knew she knew people, but we didn’t know it was that many.”
When Corrie served as the activities director at the Westphalia facility, she did little things to help because of budgetary restraints. “She’d sweet-talk her aunt into making the best homemade cinnamon rolls, and she would sell chances on them to the residents and their families,” Peggy said.
That’s how Corrie made extra money for her activities, and it was always around the Fourth of July.
“If I could just go to bed on July 3 and not wake up until the sixth, even to this day, that would be fine by me,” said Peggy. “It’s a very hard time of year for us.”
About a year after Corrie died, Peggy was talking to coworkers and said she had an idea to start a nonprofit foundation in her daughter’s memory, with the main emphasis being to help nursing home residents through the activities division.
Thus, Peggy and Ron founded the Pink Star Foundation in their daughter’s honor.
The name of the organization has a poignant origin. On the day of Corrie’s funeral, with a home full of people, she and her husband went outside for fresh air.
“I asked him if he was okay, and he started crying,” Peggy said. “He said, ‘no,’ of course. But he said, ‘You may think I’m crazy, but look up there.’”
Corrie’s favorite color was pink, and her parents saw a twinkling star.
“And I kid you not, it looked like a pink star up there,” Peggy recalled. “So, that’s where the Pink Star Foundation got its name.”
Part of the family
After fundraising to support the foundation, Peggy and Ron began sponsoring the fireworks show at Westphalia Hills, along with providing scholarships to seniors at Helias Catholic and Blair Oaks R-II High School in Wardsville, and facilities who serve people who are elderly and those who have special needs.
The latter traces its roots to Samaritan Center in Jefferson City, where Corrie volunteered after getting into trouble for making fun of someone. “It kind of backfired on me, because she just absolutely loved doing it,” Peggy said.
Corrie’s family tries to find places that meant something to her.
“She had an affinity for the elderly, and especially children and adults with Down Syndrome,” said Peggy. “She just loved them.”
After Corrie’s death, Peggy received letters from all over the place from people who were touched by the young lady’s kindness.
“I would get mad at her because she wasn’t there with us on Thanksgiving, because that was the one holiday I had,” Peggy said. “She would say, ‘I’m sorry, I have to work.’”
Peggy later found out that Corrie would drive residents to their families on Thanksgiving if the weather was bad, and take them back to Westphalia when they were done.
“They would try to pay her, but she refused,” Peggy noted. “We had no idea she was doing it. So here we were hollering at her because she’s not with her family, when, in fact, as I think about it now, she really was with part of her family, because they were her family.
“It’s amazing what someone can do in a short time on this earth,” Peggy added.
Peggy enjoys attending the annual event, which grew from a simple fireworks show to a full carnival over the years.
Along the way, Peggy has met other mothers trying to survive the loss of a child, through a closed Facebook group called Steel Magnolia Mommas. The group meets locally on the third Saturday of each month, and mothers can join the online group. Email peggy.talken@gmail.com for more information.
“Sprinkle their magic”
Ms. Raithel is very grateful for the Talkens’ support.
“We want to offer an extraordinary thank you to Ron and Peggy for their incredible support of our facility and for sponsoring the event,” said Ms. Raithel. “We also appreciate the harmonious music that Benny, Shirley, Dana, Frank, and Andy played. Their music touched our souls.”
Ms. Raithel added that the Osage Ambulance, Westphalia Fire Department, and Osage Sheriff’s Department were on hand, offering tours of vehicles and visiting with the public. “They elevated the charm of the event,” she stated. “They were the superhero support teams.”
Ms. Raithel also expressed her gratitude for the event’s sponsors, along with Kettle Korn by the Sue Lauberth Family, and RJ’s Real Italian Ice.
“We loved having dedicated families and faithful friends who came out to sprinkle their magic and join us in this grand celebration,” she said.
Mr. Johnson is editor of the Unterrified Democrat newspaper in Linn (unterrifieddemocrat.com). This article was originally published July 3 and is republished here with permission.
