Jefferson Park at Dandridge would be nothing without our employees. Our team strives everyday to help make our facility the best it can be! At the end of every month, we like to highlight one team member as the employee of the month. For the month of October, our employee of the month is Sherrie Johnson of our Housekeeping team.
Sherrie has worked with Jefferson Park since May 2018. We sat down and had an interview style talk with her about working with us and her life outside of Jefferson Park.
What do you like about your job?
Our residents! I love telling them stories and making them smile. I can be having a hard day, but our residents give me purpose in life. I lost my husband 2 years ago, and then 10 months later I lost my 4-month old grandson. Being here at Jefferson Park and helping and becoming close to our residents give me purpose. Seeing their smiles every day is priceless.
Where did you grow up, and how did you end up in Jefferson County?
I grew up in Kentucky. I met my husband at a hospital in Kentucky–he was in the process of doing a job there. We got married and decided to move to his hometown of New Market, TN. Shortly after we moved, he became sick and passed away. I decided to give Tennessee a chance and started working at Jefferson Park. I like the area. New Market is a small town, like where I’m from, and I like it.
What do you do in your free time? Any hobbies?
I have always liked being outside; so, I love camping, horseback riding, working in my gardens (vegetable and flower), and fishing.
Do you have any children?
I have two sons, Robert (38) and Travis (37).
What’s the funniest moment you can recall having?
I was on a camping trip with my husband and our friends, and I got locked in the horse trailer 3 times in a row. I ended up being trapped for 45 minutes! We all laughed, and they even took bets on our next trip to see if I would get locked up again. It was a lot of fun, and I will always remember those trips.
Do you have a favorite place you have traveled or visited?
I have traveled to a lot of places, but Hawaii and Charleston, SC are two of my favorites!
Do you have a favorite candy bar?
My favorite candy bar is a heath bar!
We want to send a big thank you to Sherrie for sitting down and talking with us! We love getting to share our employees with you. We’re grateful to have Sherrie on staff at Jefferson Park at Dandridge.