Football season is upon us; for residents like Shirley and Lowell Hawk, it couldn’t have come soon enough.
Phoebe Allentown is abuzz once the National Football League ramps up in the fall. With an Eagles fan practically always within reach, the campus is known to host pep rallies and football-related parties. These events bring the community together in a display of camaraderie that the Hawks appreciate. It has been a significant reason why they love living at the Terrace.
The couple had met while Lowell was serving in the military, training in quartermaster work. While at an Army school in Fort Lee, Virginia, Lowell was expecting to meet up with Shirley one night after Lowell’s friend had told him all about her.
Shirley had just begun her nursing career. She worked at a nearby hospital in Richmond and was among a group of girls who would occasionally visit the Army school.
The plan was for them to dance one evening on what might be considered a blind date. At the last second, though, Lowell was put on kitchen duty and had to postpone their first encounter.
Lowell apologized to Shirley through letters, expressing his desire to meet up with Shirley at the next possible opportunity. Shirley reciprocated that sentiment.
The next date proved to be successful, and the pair shared a delightful dance.
Not long after their relationship began, the couple faced the challenge of long-distance communication. Lowell was stationed in South Korea (and later Japan), where the two corresponded via letters and phone calls.
Fortunately, this was an instance of absence making the heart grow fonder, as their relationship only blossomed through these long-distance exchanges.
Shirley remained a nurse for 64 years of her life. She fondly remembers working at a small hospital in Allentown that slowly grew over time. Eventually, the hospital became St. Lukes, its size dwarfing what it once was.
Shirley’s decision to become a nurse was fueled by a negative experience she had as a young girl diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The disease had left Shirley nearly devoid of motor skills. Meanwhile, she was endlessly pestered by an evil nurse who had been overseeing her. The nurse threatened to put Shirley in the basement if she didn’t act as she wanted.
As luck would have it, that same nurse ended up being one of Shirley’s instructors during nursing school. While the nurse never recognized Shirley, Shirley has made peace with the experience and has vowed to deliver unwavering compassion to her patients ever since.
Lowell, before he went into service, worked on farms and for dairy companies. He supplied dairy products to the local Allentown area. Later on, he decided to go into teaching. He would earn a B.S. in biology and a master’s in counseling, both from Kutztown University. He taught for 13 years.
Lowell loved football since childhood. He passionately followed local sports, particularly in the Northampton area.
“There’s a lot of local talent that can spark a community’s interests,” says Lowell. Though, as a child, Lowell was advised against playing the sport himself due to the capacity for injury.
Shirley, on the other hand, hadn’t been introduced to football until she met Lowell. As a child raised on a farm and attending a school that didn’t offer the sport, Shirley simply wasn’t exposed to it.
Both are now big Eagles fans, proudly representing their states. The two have bonded immensely over their shared love of the sport. Catching the game on television has become a tradition for them.
At the Terrace, football culture fuels the sense of community that permeates Phoebe Allentown. When the Hawks decided to move to a senior community in response to Lowell’s decreased mobility, Phoebe was an obvious choice, but for reasons that go deep into family history.
Lowell has had multiple family members live at Phoebe, but it was Lowell’s mother who holds the distinct honor of being the last Phoebe Deaconess.
When Phoebe Ministries was founded in 1903, it was the product of the Phoebe Deaconess Home established by the Ministers of the Reformed Church. The home’s goal was to educate young women of the Reformed faith who cared for the sick and elderly.
Lowell’s mother is now immortalized in Phoebe’s history as the last of the group. It only made sense for the Hawks to move to where they knew they would be cared for and where their family history was forever tied.
The Hawks moved to the Terrace in late 2020 and have adored their time at Phoebe. They are particularly appreciative of the variety and quality of activities provided by the Community Life team.
Due to Lowell’s reduced mobility, he has stopped driving on his own. However, bus excursions provided by Phoebe Allentown have been invaluable in helping Lowell get around the city and beyond. He can now lean on Phoebe for transportation support.
Aside from football, Shirley is an avid reader. She proudly claims that she has read virtually every book in the Terrace library. These days, Lowell enjoys a good puzzle and games of “music bingo,” in which residents have bingo cards with iconic songs instead of numbers, and they must identify what song is being played.
As staff and residents like Shirley and Lowell Hawk break out their football apparel, Phoebe Allentown unites in their shared passion for sports once more. We wish the Hawks a happy 69th anniversary this year.
To learn more about Phoebe Allentown, please visit https://phoebe.org/communities/phoebe-allentown/.
Written by Dominic Trabosci
