Tuff Memorial Home is a nonprofit Home of the American Lutheran Church (now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and The Home corporation consists of nine Lutheran congregations in this area of Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota.
Tuff Memorial Home provides intermediate level long-term care and professional services for those who are no longer able to live in their own home due to age, physical disability or chronic illness. A unique aspect of Tuff Memorial Home is that of its 52 beds 40 rooms are private and the remaining six are double rooms. This contributes to maintaining the dignity of the individual resident at Tuff Memorial Home.
The primary goals of Tuff Memorial Home are to provide a Christian Home, in a safe environment, that rehabilitates physically and psychosocially, shows a concern for quality of life, and allows the residents to exercise those human rights that contribute to the dignity of the individual.
The story of Tuff Memorial Home began in September 1957 with the reading of the will of Gilbert Tuff, who was born in a sod house just four miles southwest of Hills and for 79 years made his home in the Hills community. The will of Gilbert Tuff left properties and funds to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, total assets of $168,000, to be used toward building a Home for the elderly in Hills.
The will stipulated that the Home must be built in two years or the funds would go elsewhere. Groundbreaking for the construction of the Home began in July 1959, and Tuff Memorial Home, named in honor of its founder, opened its 31-bed facility for occupancy in August 1960. Total cost of construction, architectural fees, furnishing, and equipment was approximately $263,183.
In 1963, Mr. William Finke, a charter resident of the Home, announced a gift of his farm (which sold for $50,000) to be used for the construction of an expansion to the Home. Mr. Finke, who was a former businessman and farmer of the Luverne and Hills area, had the satisfaction of turning the first soil for the addition built in memory of his late wife, Mary C. (Paulsen) Finke. The new addition, which cost approximately $130,000, opened for use on Jan. 1, 1965. The extension increased the total capacity to 52.
In 1967, two major gifts were given to Tuff Memorial Home to help reduce its building indebtedness. The first was made by Henry John Schloetje of Boyden, Iowa, who willed $60,0000 to the Home. Mr. Schloetje was little known in the Hills community but on several occasions visited a good friend in the Home, William Holthusen, who was a resident for a number of years. Mr. Schloetje was a boyhood immigrant from Germany and a lifetime farmer in Iowa. The other major gift of $28,433, was given by Nels O. Thompson of Valley Springs, S.D. Mr. Thompson was a member of First Lutheran Church and farmed northwest of Hills.
In 1972, Ms. Alfrida Tuff, seeing the need for a permanent chapel, provided Tuff Memorial Home with a cash gift to begin construction in the name of her late husband, Bernard Tuff. The Bernard Tuff Memorial Chapel was dedicated on Jan. 3, 1973, and is presently used for weekly Sunday morning service, activities, restorative therapy, films, meetings and many more functions.
On Sept. 1, 1986, when Alfrida Tuff expired she graciously left a large portion of her will to Tuff Memorial Home. In April 1987, Tuff Memorial Home received the funds and a the board of directors voted to use the $30,500 for the expansion project. Alfrida Tuff stated that the will be given in memory of her late husband Bernard Tuff and that it be used for construction or to add needed equipment to Tuff Memorial Home.
Many more gifts were given in the history of Tuff Memorial Home and are on display in the Remembrance Books on the walnut stand at the base of the Recognition Panel in the front entrance to the Home.
For several years the board of directors of Tuff Memorial Home discussed the need for housing for the elderly separate from nursing care, but no funds were available. Then in January 1970, Mr. Martinus Viste, a former resident of the Hills community who had moved to Florence, died leaving about $40,0000. This was the incentive needed to proceed with plans for building an apartment for the elderly. The home had previously acquired land across the street south of the Nursing Home which was an ideal location for the cottage type apartments, four on ground level and two basement walk-out apartments.
Because of the success of Viste Manor another apartment building, Morningside, was planned for in 1976. Morningside was financed through individual loans, some to be forgiven upon death, and through the Tuff Memorial Home. Individual loans forgiven upon death were Olivia Moldenhauer, $25,000; Mr. and Mrs. Gullick H. Sundem, $20,000; and Clara Sandager, $5,000. Individual loans were made by Pearl Hellie, $11,200; Juliet T. Rowbotham, $10,000; and Oscar E. Hagen, $10,000. Morningside Manor was completed in 1977 and has four apartments that are currently occupied.
In 1984, again seeing a need for more housing Sunview Manor was built. Sunview was opened in 1985 and has five very lovely apartments. Two major loans were given by Herman Beyenhof, $10,000, and Rachel Bakk, $15,000, to help build Sunview Manor. Other finances were made through Tuff Memorial Home.
In 1988 an expansion project was started. It was decided the best location for the addition would be the west side of the kitchen and it would include a new walk-in cooler and freezer, a larger food storage area; a new lounge, conference, and family meeting area; new office space for the director of nursing and the food service supervisor; a bathroom; and a new housekeeping room.
Gifts and memorials given for the project included: $51,500 from the Alfrida Tuff Estate, $25,000 from Paul and Bertha Thompson in memory of Roger Thompson, $10,000 in memory of Alfred and Rachel Bakk by Margaret Thornton, $7,500 from the Minnie Kolsrud Estate and $5,000 from the Sophes Arlin Hunstad Estate from Jasper.
Another addition in memory of Pearl Hoff, longtime laundry supervisor, was completed in 1998. The addition included a new laundry room, activity and physical therapy area with kitchen facilities and the redesign of existing office space for the director of nursing and social services director.