Leanna Anderson

Leanna spent the first five years of her childhood in Wichita, Kansas, where her father was an electrician for Boeing. The family then lived in Texas for a year, and went on to Louisiana for another seven years, until her father selected Washington state for his next transfer.

“We moved to the Seattle area in 1966,” said Leanna. “I was 12.”

Leanna said she had a “great childhood and wouldn’t change a thing.” She was close to both parents, spending time with her outdoorsman dad fishing at lily-padded lakes for crappie, and riding the bus with her mom for dinner and shopping in the city while her dad worked the swing shift.

“I like talking about my folks,” said Leanna. “They were great parents. We were all so close, and we had so much fun, especially with the other Boeing families, camping and celebrating holidays together.”

Leanna lived at home until she married at age 23. Deanna arrived first, with son, Darren following two years later.

Leanna worked in administrative positions for Boeing, and for several attorneys, and in 1999, she began working at Intel in Lacey, Wash. After her father died in 2001, and it looked like the Lacey office might close permanently, Leanna transferred to the Hillsboro office in 2004, with Deanna and her mother, Glenna Mae, in tow.

Sadly, Glenna Mae died shortly after the family’s move to Portland. Deanna lives with Leanna, and Darren lives in North Dakota with his wife, and daughter.

Leanna retired from Intel in 2016 after 17 years, and was looking for a position “less stressful” than working in administration for a large company. She laughingly describes Rose Schnitzer Manor as a “different kind of stress.”

“It is not quiet or slow here!” she said.

Deanna joined Leanna on campus about four years ago and is able to back up her mom on the desk, unless she is out driving or delivering packages.

Not only does Leanna know the names of residents and family members, but she has many of the residents’ room numbers memorized, too.

“I never really had a job where I had to learn so many names and phone numbers and apartments and everything at once,” she said. “But I think the variety of work I’ve done has helped.

“And I’ve always had a good memory, and been a good speller.”

Leanna describes herself as caring, punctual, and organized. “I’d rather get some place and sit 30 minutes and wait ‘til the time than to be a minute late. And, I have to have my desk so I know where things are located and they’re not all over the place.”

Leanna arrives about 7:30 in the morning, and boots up all the machines, and begins answering the phones at 8, all while greeting residents and visitors and answering questions, giving directions, and helping to make copies, log medications, and coordinate package delivery. She coordinates a resident phone book monthly, and updates resident photos on the community bulletin board.

“We also help health services [with record keeping] when we can,” she said. “It’s just a big variety.”

Leanna has a very full schedule from Monday through Friday, and recently has worked some Saturday shifts, too. But when she’s not working, she enjoys being outside vacationing near water, gardening, or trying new restaurants with Deanna. Despite some eye rolling over the tidiness of their shared house—Leanna appreciates her daughter always having her back.

“She does an awful lot for me,” said Leanna. “When I’ve been sick, she’s always right there. She does the shopping on Saturdays, and I do the cooking on Sundays.

“I’m grateful for her. This is home.”