Chery Jones is known as the prolific resident baker at Morningside at Menger Springs. Each year, she hosts the highly anticipated “Christmas in July” event for the Menger House community. This July, Chery baked an impressive 96 dozen cookies and 80 loaves of bread. Residents eagerly lined up outside the atrium on the second floor, excited to taste her baked treats. Chery estimates that 90% of her delightful goodies were gone within 20 minutes. She has been organizing this event for the past five years, which began when Chery’s daughter and grandson visited her and her husband, Lowell, in 2018 and wanted cookies.
Chery began baking in her childhood, learning from her mother and grandmother, both excellent bakers. To honor them and share their family recipes, Chery self-published a cookbook two years ago titled “La Bare’s Kitchen” to share with her family and friends. It took her over a year to develop, and it has become a cherished collection for her children and grandchildren, who frequently use the cookbook and add their own notes to the recipes. As her grandmother was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), some of the recipes date back to the time of the Pilgrims. One notable recipe in the cookbook is for “Joe Frogger” cookies, which contain molasses and no eggs, ensuring they keep longer—a recipe that came over with the Pilgrims.
Chery was born and raised in Walled Lake, Michigan, and attended Walled Lake High School. In seventh grade, she took home economics with the intention of pursuing a teaching career in that field. Recognizing her baking skills, her instructor asked her to bake a cake from scratch, while other students were allowed to use box mixes. Chery also excelled in sewing, having learned the craft from her mother and grandmother. While other students were learning basic techniques, Chery was already sewing pockets onto outfits. Due to her advanced knowledge, her home economics teacher decided Chery could not take another class in the subject. Although this initially seemed unfortunate since Chery had hoped to pursue a career in teaching home economics, it led her to choose nursing instead. This career path also proved valuable, as she acquired essential skills that she still uses today.
Chery attended a three-year nursing school in New Mexico, where she met and married Lowell, an engineer working for Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque. They have been married for 58 years and have two children: Andrew, a professor of robotics at Lake Superior University, and Deborah, who holds a Master’s in education and teaches fourth grade in Camdenton, MO. As a young couple, Chery and Lowell lived in Edgewood, NM, where they built a 7,500-square-foot bermed passive solar home on five acres of plains land. Chery acted as the contractor for the project, and over two years, they did all the plumbing, electrical work, bricklaying, and sheetrock installation themselves. It took another two years to complete the landscaping around the house. Chery estimates the energy-efficient home costs only about $30 per month to heat and cool.
After 25 years in Edgewood, Chery and Lowell moved to Mission, Texas, following several years of enduring 146 inches of annual snowfall in New Mexico. They were familiar with Mission as Chery’s parents were frequent “snowbirds” to Texas and regularly visited there. The couple lived for 17 years in Mission in a 55+ community. In 2009, Lowell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. When he turned 80 and began experiencing further symptoms, they decided to move to the Hill Country for better healthcare options and to be closer to San Antonio, which offered more travel and medical resources. Morningside was the first community they visited, and they were drawn to its faith-based mission. During their initial visits, a spacious apartment had become available at Menger House while their house in Mission was for sale. Although there were 13 people on the waitlist for the apartment, none were ready to move at that exact time, so Chery and Lowell were offered the apartment. The couple moved to Morningside at Menger Springs in June 2018 and were fortunate to secure their current apartment just as their house was sold.
Christmas in July treats
Chery feels strongly that they were led to Morningside by the Lord. The chaplains and the community have been a blessing, providing socialization, proper diet, and exercise, which have helped Lowell maintain his health. Despite his diagnosis, Lowell remains active and socially engaged, often dancing at events and being the life of the party. Chery notes that Lowell used to be an introvert! She is grateful for the supportive environment they have at Menger Springs.
Every year, she and her daughter Deborah also attend the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, to learn new crafts. Over the past few years, they have learned to make lifelike animals from recyclable materials, wood turning, basket weaving, and fused glass paintings. This coming year, they are allowing the men in their family to join them, learning about creating designs with beeswax and paraffin in fabric, while Lowell will take a singing class.
Chery and Lowell have traveled to over 51 countries. For their 40th anniversary, they spent three weeks in Hawaii with their family. For their 50th anniversary, they rented a house on Prince Edward Island, inspired by her daughter’s love for the book Anne of Green Gables. For their 55th, they visited Alaska, where they walked on glaciers, hiked, and kayaked every day at Prince William Sound. Every October, they also visit their daughter and family in Missouri and stay for the month.
Chery feels that at Morningside, she and Lowell are not alone and that she doesn’t need to handle everything by herself. In addition to her baking wizardry, she is a talented quilter and actively participates in the numerous events available at Menger Springs. Chery says she feels blessed to be living at our Menger Springs community, surrounded by wonderful friends, neighbors, and staff. She kindly shared one of her favorite recipes with us from her La Bare cookbook, a Mackinac fudge recipe from her childhood state of Michigan.
