The Bickford story began with just one woman, an accomplished harpist and beloved grandmother: Judie Eby’s mom, Mary Bickford.

When Mary was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Judie and her husband, Don, moved her from Wichita to Olathe, Kansas, so they could better care for her. Don, recently retired from his career with an equipment company, set to work opening a new assisted living facility for his mother-in-law. “We just knew that her time was coming,” Judie recalls. “My mom was the first resident.”

While Don took the reins expanding the company into new cities and states, Judie took a behind-the-scenes role in making sure each branch felt like home for its residents. In the early days, she would travel to each new branch to help the designer select the furnishings and decor that would make the building cozy and comfortable. Later, she spent each day at a different branch, just sitting and visiting with residents.

“It wasn’t an important job, but I think they knew one of the owners cared about them,” Judie says. “I just really loved it. I loved seeing how happy they were, and being able to visit with their families.”

Then, Don got sick. Judie turned her caregiving attention to her husband, spending five years caring for him until his death in 2010. The couple’s three sons picked up the Bickford torch, continuing their father’s legacy.

“Whatever it takes. Don said that a long time ago, and they keep saying it over and over,” Judie says. “I am so proud of the boys because they have carried that on.”

True to form, Judie, now a grandmother and great-grandmother herself, remains humble about her own role in the company’s success. She instead credits her mother and husband—and the Bickford employees who fulfill its mission daily.

“It’s all about those two and all about the love that we have for the residents,” Judie says. “Everybody buys into it, and I love them.”