Featured Residents

Ineta Chambliss

Ineta Chamblis was born in her great grandparents' house in Brennan, Texas. Her great grandmother was a midwife and she delivered Ineta.

Ineta's father died of pneumonia less than a month after she was born. The great grandparents persuaded Ineta's mother to come and live with them so that Ineta would have a father. Ineta and her mother moved in with them, but the mother could not "follow the rules of the house," and after a year, she left. The great grandparents literally took Ineta away from her. The mother came back once for a visit, secretly packed Ineta's bag and was planning to "kidnap" her. Ineta started screaming when they reached the garden gate and that scheme was halted. Ineta did not see her mother again until she was seven.

Ineta is very happy that her great grandparents raised her. Everyone in the community looked to them for help, not only as a midwife, but as providers of food, money or whatever was needed. Her grandfather had a large truck farm and grew watermelon, cantaloupe, peanuts and lots of vegetables. When the peanuts were ripe, men came and helped pull up the plants and stored them by the barn until they could be harvested. She remembers there were two huge Cedar trees in the yard and the space between the two trees was stacked high with watermelon and cantaloupes. The produce was sold to the General Store, but much of the abundance was given away to the neighborhood. There was also an orchard with plum, peaches, pears, persimmon and fig trees, as well as a grape arbor. Ineta learned to can at a very early age. Her grandfather butchered two hogs a year and had his own smokehouse. He shared bacon and sausage with his neighbors.

Church was a big part of her life at her great grandparents' house. Because the great grandmother was often away doing her midwifery business, a great aunt would come and take care of Ineta. By the time she was eight or nine, she knew how to cook, to wash and iron and to clean house. Her great grandmother always wanted her to know how to take care of herself. On Saturdays when other children were out playing, she was cleaning or cooking and she is very grateful for what she learned from her great grandmother.

She fondly remembers the Bohemian family who were their neighbors. The mom and her great grandmother were great buddies. When the neighbor would buy material to make a dress for her daughters, she also bought material and made Ineta a dress. She bought Ineta's school supplies and taught her how to quilt.

This idyllic life was interrupted with the death of her great grandfather when she was nine or ten. Ineta's grandfather, their son, came to live on the farm. He made a mess of everything. He sold the cows and chickens, tore down the chicken house and all of the planning and saving that her great grandfather did for Ineta's schooling was gone. The great grandmother was heartbroken and went to live with another child in Houston. Ineta pleaded with her great grandmother to take her, but there was no room in the new place for her. The grandfather would not let Ineta attend school, so she did not go from age 10 to 16. Ineta had to work and she went with him to Lubbock, Texas to pick cotton. There she met a very nice family who noticed something amiss. When the grandfather was not around, they asked her how things were going. She told them, "Not good" and they made plans for her to live with them. Every Saturday, the grandfather went into town, and one Saturday, Ineta packed her bags and went to live with the family in Lubbock. He tried to find her, but he did not. She stayed with that family until she was 19 and then moved in town with her friends. She had a job taking care of children and keeping house and saved her money.

When she was 21, she took a vacation to Los Angeles and liked it and decided to move there. She worked taking care of children, housekeeping and cooking and again thanked her great grandmother for the good training. The job paid very well and she was able to purchase a small bungalow.

She started night school and went into dietary studies and got a job at General Hospital, working with diabetics.

During this time, Ineta met a gentleman at her church and they were married, but the marriage lasted only two years. Ineta took another vacation to Portland, Oregon. She really liked the city - it was so quiet. The two-week vacation turned into a month and then she applied for a job at the Good Samaritan Hospital and when she got the job, she moved to Portland. (It is a rather costly proposition for Ineta to go on vacation.) In Portland, she met some very nice people who owned a duplex. She lived in one side until she met Hoover at a Shriner's Ball. Every weekend, he either visited her in Portland or sent her a train ticket to come to Seattle. Finally, his power of persuasion paid off and he bought her a one-way ticket to Seattle. She immediately got a job at the University of Washington Hospital.

She and Hoover were married for 22 years. She says "He is a good person and still looks out for her." He loves helping people and always calls her to see if she needs something and takes care of her.

She was promoted to Supervisor of Faculty Dining Room at University Hospital. One day a lady from her church who owned a successful record company approached her and said she was ready to retire and she told Ineta that her record store was a gold mine and recommended that Ineta buy the store. Ineta had the papers drawn up and gave notice. The hospital folks were very upset and thought she had lost her mind to give up a good, well-paying job for this venture. She moved into the store on Madison between 20th and 21st, and the store indeed made good money. Customers came from Vancouver, B.C. and Spokane. She stocked old jazz, blues, gospel and "party" records. She owned it for 16 years until the area became such a high crime area that it was unsafe. She sold the business in 1987.

After retirement, she stayed home and worked in the garden and roamed the shopping malls. The neighbors thought that she was still working because she would get up and catch the bus to the mall and come home at the end of the day. She didn't say if she was looking or buying. She baked cakes for a couple of delicatessens in the area and one lady came from Everett to buy her cakes.

Ineta moved to Hilltop in March of 1996. She loves playing Bingo, baking Sweet Potato Pie and plain cakes. And, she is an herbalist, using "Back to Eden" as her bible and believes Hyssop Tea cures high blood pressure. She went to purchase hyssop at the Pike Street Market Spice Store and found they were selling the leaves, not roots. She pointed out that she learned that from her Texas grandmother. She says that she really enjoys life at Hilltop and when asked for a piece of advice, she said, "Mind your own business and leave other people's business alone." She says she has had a great life! We are very happy you are here sharing your life with us now.

Maro Kentros and Ann Burnham

Maro Kentros (foreground) and Ann Burnham attending
a "Seniors Making Art" watercolor class.

Maro has had a busy career in retail fashion, as a magazine writer and photojournalist, art gallery director and travel agent. Currently she is writing a novel about Greek Americans, and has had several poems published.

Ann started sketching in her father's account books at the age of three. She received her art education in the public schools and also studied with Robert Wood who helped her develop watercolor technique. She feels one of his key teachings was staying with the subject until one is completely satisfied with the result. Ann designs and sells her own greeting cards.

Matthew Fields

Matthew was a professional boxer. He had a debilitating stroke several years ago and his doctor told him that he owes his life and the progress he has made in recovery to the fact that he is in very good physical shape.

He trains every day as he did during his boxing career, doing sit-ups, squats, bike riding and walking backwards. His tenacity and determination are admirable!