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'They set an example' Asheboro residents remember Clapp's nursing home founders for contribution to community

Courier-Tribune - 1/7/2022

Jan. 7—Jean Johnson will never forget the generosity and kindness Elizabeth "Libby" and Donald "Don" Clapp showed through their nursing home and fire department. The two created a facility that helped many people in need.

The nursing home was started in 1959 when the pair moved to Asheboro. The facility is now owned by their daughter Denise with help from other family members.

The nursing home offers a transitional rehabilitation program specializing in short-stay recovery after surgery or other illness. They further provide physical, occupational, speech therapy, dental and other services.

Don Clapp passed away on July 9 at the age of 81. He founded the East Side Fire Department serving as fire chief for 20 years, remaining on the board for 20 more years.

Libby Clapp passed away on Jan. 3 at the age of 80. She was a charter member of the American Business Women's Association, became a Licensed Practical Nurse in the early 1960s and was an administrator with Clapp's Convalescent Nursing Home.

Their daughter Denise Campbell along with other family members still help provide the same values they had.

Libby's Nephew Sam Key said she was always with family and was the cool aunt. Key also is thankful for how helpful Don was with family and friends in need. He remembers how she and Don took their children on a 14-hour drive to Florida to visit them when they moved.

This week marks the anniversary of Libby's death. The Courier-Tribune sat with residents close to the Clapps and was impacted by their willingness to help others. Here are those responses.

Coming from Pleasant Garden, Don and Libby started Clapp's Nursing Home in Asheboro. It was down on Highway 42. Libby was a nurse and was known to work without rest for two to three days at a time. She gave baths, made beds, scrubbed floors and bathrooms.

They did everything to keep it going well, including hiring and training a good staff. I met Libby during this time at a neighbor's bridge party. When Don and Libby saw the need, they built Clapp's nursing home and mountain top independent living. Family members came on board to continue their principles.

I came to know Da because I worked for the county as a social worker and he did many deeds in the community. One of the outstanding things I remember was that his firefighter group in that area was a model for the whole county. If a person had a fire they would ask if they needed money for a hotel, or clothes and they did it.

When I came to mountain top, Libby visited me a lot. The main thing that sparked me was that she loved her children and they loved her. Another interesting thing was that she really loved coffee ice cream. They didn't let it get low in that freezer.

She taught the families and many people in the community that it's possible to get help and give it. They set an example for their staff. They trained and hired good people, but they were the example by working with staff. It wasn't you do it, but we do it.

I volunteer a lot at the facility, at least two times a week. We started bingo when the building was on Highway 42. We also tried to do anything that would entertain the patients.

I was best friends with Don and Libby all their life. We were backyard neighbors for a long time and went on trips together. We even went on a cruise or two. Libby was a hard worker at the nursing home and Don was the go-getter. When it snowed or there was bad weather, he would go and help.

He was also good to his employees and did things like bowling. They bowled in a league called "Boys and Noise." However, they took very little time off from work. When the East Side Volunteer Fire Department was formed, the first calls all went into the nursing home and the firefighters would dispatch there.

Libby was a hard worker too and always worked with the patients. The transition of patients from the hospital to the nursing home was always easy. They also serve with kindness and nine out of 10 times, the facility stayed full. When they started on 42, I started volunteering. That's been over 50 years.

I met Don about 51 or 52 years ago through the fire service and we fought fires for 40 years. Don was a good fire chief and a good man. I had a business in Asheboro for floor covering and if the Clapps did any floor covering, I was involved and Don made sure of that.

Don was a person you couldn't help but like because he was friendly. He was laid back and didn't care what happened, but the Clapps have been good to me. After he retired, he sat on the porch a lot and he was always good for a conversation.

He also gave and shared his money and time with the community. When it snowed, he would bring his tractor to clean my driveway. Don will be greatly missed because he was a man that everybody loved and always had a smile on.

One of my memories from our time at the fire department was that we didn't have much to start with. The navigation system blew out, so Don said to drive until you see the fire. We also had a call one night on 42, but the problem was that we went down the highway, but the fire was on the other side.

However, we had some good times at the fire department. We did fundraisers, the fall festival, cooked hot dogs and had a good group of men. We used the money from the fundraisers and event to help people who had fires. Some ways we helped was providing hotels or food. We had some good firefighters and I feel fortunate to have met Don.

You saw the love, kindness and patience Libby and Don had for each other and their children. Libby would call her children, ask them when they would come and would end with an 'I love you.' The love they had radiated throughout the community.

Petruce Jean-Charles is a Government Watchdog Reporter. They are interested in what's going on in the community and are open to tips on people, businesses and issues. Contact Petruce at pjeancharles@gannett.com and follow @PetruceKetsia on Twitter.

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