Laurie Strickland of North Jackson poses on her riding lawn mower with her grandsons, from left, Diezel, Rhiley and Benny. Strickland takes pride in her work at a local nursing home where she helped many patients and their families through the COVID-19 pandemic.

NORTH JACKSON — Laurie Strickland’s mom began a slow descent into dementia in 2013 that began with forgetfulness and hiding pairs of scissors in every room in the house.

In her day, Nancy McClain was a true-blue Youngstown matriarch. She saved and fixed everything that broke, kept organized records for every member of the extended family and presided over an impressive collection of photos, slides and 8 mm films of every child, grandchild and unofficial adoptee who found safe haven in her home.

She had a basement storeroom with enough food and cleaning products to last several years, and her diligent savings over five decades of light industrial and cleaning work at Packard Electric eventually became a significant gift to her family.

By 2019, Strickland knew McClain needed more care than the family could give at any of their homes even with in-home health care assistants. That’s when Strickland brought her mom to Windsor House at Canfield, where she works as a care aide.

McClain got a single room that her family kept filled with flowers, cards and the grandkids’ hand-drawn pictures. Every day, Strickland stopped by her mom’s room on her breaks to check in.

Over time, McClain lost the ability to speak and swallow. At night, she became confused and tried to get out of bed and leave the nursing home. So, Strickland slept overnight in the recliner in her mom’s room to keep her company. In the mornings, Strickland brushed her teeth, put on her scrubs and went to work on another wing of the nursing home.

Strickland, who graduated from Austintown Fitch High School in 1981, said she’s relieved that her mom died peacefully in February of 2020 because shortly after that, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard at nursing homes all over the country.

Strickland remembers family members visiting the nursing home who stood outside the windows to see their elderly parents during lockdown. She remembers many beloved folks who didn’t survive COVID-19. Those were scary and heartbreaking times for everyone, but especially for Strickland, who said she’s always felt close to the people she helps.

At work, Strickland is one who never stops moving, waving, telling jokes and smiling. She’s the one who remembers birthdays and makes everyone feel special. She’s rare these days as a reliable and hard-working employee.

It’s been very difficult for nursing homes to attract and keep health care aides on the payroll, and Strickland has watched dozens of new employees come and go. She hates to admit it, but her body hurts after long shifts, and she gets little rest at home.

Her kitchen smells like cheesy potatoes and ham or stuffed shells and peppers. Her doors are always open to her children and grandkids, and if it’s sunny, you can find her outside mowing her expansive North Jackson lawn on a very large tractor.

In the late fall, Strickland gathers her daughters and friends to make thousands of legendary handmade cookies for the holidays. She has few critics, but even the people who love her say she gives too much.

And while it’s true, she’s nobody’s fool. Any Youngstown matriarch of days gone by, including her mom, would be proud of her fierce determination to make something from nothing, to work and love as much as possible and to err on the side of generosity.

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