Kelly Schronk has worked with the elderly for her entire career, first at nursing homes and now as a home health nurse.”I get to meet different people, and really get to know them,” she said. “I love it.”
Schronk graduated from Dublin High School in 1982. Her favorite activity in school was being part of Future Homemakers of America and taking home economics classes, and when she graduated she put the skills she learned there to use working at the Dublin Nursing Center. She washed dishes, did laundry, and worked in the kitchen. After a few years she started at Golden Age Manor doing the same things.
In August of 1985, Schronk’s mother introduced Schronk to her friend’s son, Kenneth Schronk. The two hit it off and married the next year. Kenneth also worked in nursing homes, so for the next decades, the Schronks often took jobs together.
They moved to Hamilton in 1987 to be closer to Kenneth’s relatives, then back to Dublin in 1989. They had one daughter, Kimberly Schronk (now Kimberly Hannon), in 1986, and Schronk took a few years off work to raise her. For the next two decades, she worked on and off as needed.
In 2017, Schronk’s husband passed away, and Schronk went back to work full-time at Golden Age Manor. Then, in 2019, she started working for Girling Home Health.
Schronk has been working in home health ever since. She sees two or three patients on a regular basis, and stays with them for a few hours each day helping with their medical care and day to day tasks. “I love my patients,” she said. “They are just great.”
Schronk hopes to work for Girling until she retires in a few years. She currently lives in Dublin. When Schronk has free time, she enjoys reading, watching TV, or traveling. She especially enjoys taking road trips around the US. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter and her two grandchildren, Alexzandra, 19, and Karston, 15, who also live in Dublin.
Throughout her life, Schronk has found inspiration in her mother and father, and their faith. “My mom and dad inspired me to think that I could do anything I wanted,” she said.
Schronk’s advice to future Dublin graduates is to take advantage of the freedom life has to offer. “You can do whatever you want in life, whether that’s furthering your education or going to work,” she said. “Just go out and chase your dreams.” Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@ dublincitizen. com.