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The Pinecone
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June 2016 • 3 •
All New Resident bios are written by Jacqueline Besteman, Kirby Pines Resident
welcome to
3535 Kirby Road • Memphis, TN 38115
Born in Denver, Colorado,
Evonne Baker (Eve) joins Kir-
by Pines from her prior home
in Sun City Center, Florida.
Married for 50 years to Don-
ald Baker, their family is com-
prised of 4 children, 9 grand-
children, and a great grand
due in August 2016. Don’s
military service was with the
U.S. Navy during WWII, with
the rank of Ensign. His profes-
sional career was in the field of
Advertising, graduating from
Penn State with a Liberal Arts
Degree. In 1950, Penn State
awarded Eve a Liberal Arts
Degree, in Journalism. “Grow-
ing a family” was her first or-
der of business (so to speak);
Eve’s career was a homemaker
for their children. Don passed
away in 2003.
Music from the “Big Band”
era is preferred – easy listening
to Glenn Miller, Tommy Dors-
ey, and others of that genre.
Eve is a long-time volunteer in
the Stephen Ministry – an ecu-
menical association of church
members; after completing the
required 50 hours of training,
she also became a volunteer in
Hospice Life Path.
Welcome to Kirby, Eve. Op-
portunities are abundant for
someone with your training
and experience in helping
others - both those in hospice
care and others who simply
welcome a friend to talk with.
We’re glad you’re here!
Eve Baker
Betty Binkley came to Kirby
Pines from her previous home
in Memphis, TN. She and her
husband, Jerry, were married
for 65 years; they have 2 chil-
dren, 4 grandchildren, and 4
great grands.
In 1949, Jerry graduated from
Technical School as a struc-
tural steel detailer, and formed
his own company, Memphis
Structural Steel. In 1962,
Memphis State awarded Betty
a MA Degree in Education.
She was a teacher in the Mem-
phis City Schools for 23 years.
Jerry passed away in 2016. In-
terests for Betty include Bible
Study, Book Clubs, Yoga, and
Tai Chi. Her music preferenc-
es are broad – from Country
Western to Classical.Betty’s
love of travel includes a Medi-
terranean Cruise, visits to
France, Switzerland, Germany,
Italy, Belgium, Netherlands,
England, Hawaii, and most all
of the U. S.
Newly widowed – how does
one reconstruct a life from 2
persons to a single entity? It’s
not easy, and many of our resi-
dents have faced that challenge
and met it “head on”. Time is
needed for Betty’s transition,
and she will have people who
will help her in this adjustment.
Our community is replete with
individuals who will become
your new friends – your life
will again be on a solid foun-
dation. Welcome.
Betty Binkley
We welcome Joseph and Mar-
jorie Dittmaier to Kirby Pines.
They come to us from their
previous home in Caldonia.
Their family consists of 3 chil-
dren, 5 grandchildren, and 4
great grands. Marjorie attend-
ed Southern Illinois University
for 3 years, but withdrew to
turn attention to their children.
Joseph’s military service was
23 months with the U.S. Army
Signal Corps, holding the rank
of Private First Class. His ba-
sic training was at Ft. Leonard
Wood in Missouri; then sent
to Yokahama, Japan to radio
school.
Joseph was a member of the
United Brotherhood of Car-
penters and Joiners of Ameri-
ca. In addition to his skills as
a master carpenter, Joseph also
had expertise as a mill wright.
A devoted father, he participat-
ed in scouting activities with
his sons and purchased prop-
erty to build the family home
post-retirement. Marjorie has a
special affinity for dogs of all
breeds and sizes – 3 or 4 big
dogs were a common sight at
their property.
Moving from one’s home into
a LifeCare community is al-
ways a major decision and ad-
justment; for Joseph and Mar-
jorie it was needful to have the
special care that she requires.
The Dittmaier journey is one
many of us have taken. We
wish them all good things.
Joseph Dittmaier
Born in Crenshaw, MS, Roy
Laughlin joins Kirby Pines
from his previous residence
in Collierville, TN. He and his
wife, Elaine, were married for
56 years and have 2 children
and 4 grandchildren.
In 1958, the U. of Memphis
awarded Roy a Master’s De-
gree in Education, laying the
groundwork for a career that
covered 40 years in Mem-
phis City Schools, including
coaching several sports teams,
teaching, and, ultimately, as
Principal of Coleman Junior
High and other schools. His
military service was with the
U.S. Army, with a rank of Cor-
poral, spending 6 years with
the Tennessee National Guard.
With summers off, Roy and
his wife were able to travel
across Europe and the U.S.
Visiting Italy, Austria, Ireland,
Russia, Estonia, Belgium and
the Netherlands. When Elaine
passed away in 2016, Roy
moved to Kirby Pines. He re-
mains a “sports” fanatic to
this day. He also enjoys mu-
sic from the “Big Band” era
and brought with him to Kirby
Pines a record player and trea-
sured collection of vinyl re-
cords of favorite songs.
Get to know Roy Laughlin –
good company and one who’s
looking forward to doing his
part in enhancing our residen-
tial community.
Roy Laughlin