Earl has spent most of his life in state institutions, nursing homes, and group homes for people with mental retardation. In 1930, when he was nine years old, he went to a state institution, where he lived for about 30 years. After that Earl moved to another state institution and later to a nursing home before he moved to a group home in 1981. In 1987 the county closed the group home where Earl was living in St. Could, Minnesota. Everyone moved to other places but there were problems in finding a home for Earl so he had to stay alone in the group home for a while. The local newspaper ran a story about Earl's need for a home. Ethel and Ebert Konz saw the article and invited Earl to come and live with them. Earl's case manager talks about their living situation in glowing terms: "Earl, Ethel, and Ebert are perfect for each other. Earl goes everywhere with them. Earl really like living with them. This is the first time he has had a real home since he was nine years old."
Earl's living situation was made possible under the Stearns County Adult Foster Care Program and the Minnesota Medical Assistance Waiver. Although Earl receives assistance in learning and maintaining some domestic skills, he is not living in a program. He is living in a home that he shares with Ethel and Ebert. And as far as Ethel and Ebert are concerned, Earl is a part of the family and does not have to worry about moving again.
Ethel likes to tell the story about the first time she met Earl: "The first time I came to pick Earl up he just sat in the car like he had always done that. He turned to me and said, "What's for dinner?" "Earl, Ethel, and Ebert all laugh when they tell this story. Then Ethel added, "It was like it was meant to be. It is hard to imagine this place without him."
Last year Ebert retired form the granite company where he had worked
for about 30 years. When Earl heard that Ebert was retiring he decided
that he should also return from the day activity center where he spent
his day. Both Earl and Ebert like pies very much, and now that they both
returned, Ebert and Earl
make pies together and eat them as fast as they make them.
Ethel says, "Earl has become a part of the family. He is family. He does everything with us. He also helps around the house. He sweeps the kitchen floor and does his own laundry." And Ethel continues, "Earl always goes grocery shopping with me and pushes the car. He also helps me remember things. He is much better at remembering things that I am," Ethel laughs.
Earl is really involved in Ethel's and Ebert's family. This is a big family with a lot of grandchildren who all live nearby. Earl goes to all the family events like birthday parties and baptizing of the babies. He enjoys the children very much and they draw pictures to give him when they come to visit. Earl is most proud of a photograph that was taken when one of Ethel's and Ebert's grandchildren was baptized. The picture shows Earl, with a big smile on his face, holding the baby.
Earl does a number of things with Ethel and Ebert. He helps Ebert gather firewood, he goes to bingo with Ethel, and the three of them go fishing together on the lakes in a boat owned by a member of the family. Earl likes to fish and he enjoys the boat rides very much.
Earl also goes to church with Ethel and Ebert. Everyone in the community
knows him now. People greet him and chat with him when they see him at
church. Some members of Earl's biological family live in the area. He met
some of them at church and has been to visit them since. There has been
limited contact between Earl and his family while Earl lived in the institutions
and the group homes. Ethel has encouraged Earl's family to get back in
touch with him so Earl really has two families now. He has become part
of Ethel's and Ebert's family, and his own family has become a part of
his life again.
Earl has also made some friends in the area. He met one of them, Bob,
through Ethel and Ebert. By now Earl and Bob have a friendship independent
of Ethel and Ebert. Bob and Earl both like old movies and Earl goes over
to Bob's house and they watch movies together.
Earl's passion is sports and he is a devoted Twins fan. Sometimes Earl goes to the Twins games with Ethel and other family members. At other times he goes on a whole day's bus trip to the Twins games with a group of people from the senior center. He now has a friend in the group, Delores, who is also a Twins fan.
Living with Ethel and Ebert has worked well for Earl because there was
a good match between them. It is clear that integration into the Konz family
has served as a link to many other community and family connections for
Earl.