Staff Spotlight: Sue Jeralds

Ardenwoods Office Manager Sue Jeralds has lived all over the United States — from her hometown in Illinois to Phoenix, Washington to Florida, Asheville to Las Vegas and back again. In fact, in the early 1980s, she even toured the West Coast as a singer and keyboardist in a band, playing pop music at crowded casinos each night.

After closing the curtain on her music career, Sue made the cross-country journey to Western North Carolina, where she lived for 25 years while raising her three (now-adult) children. Once they were grown, however, she followed her heart in a move to Las Vegas, rekindling an old flame with a former partner, to whom she is now married.

After a decade in the desert, though, she was longing to be closer to her family again: “All three of my sons, my mom and dad, my six grandkids — they’re all here [in North Carolina],” she said. So, when her husband retired, Sue jumped at the opportunity to settle down in Asheville for a second time.

Upon returning to North Carolina, she took on an accounting role at a local church, but when the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world, Sue was back on the job market. Luckily, just one month later, she came across an open position at Ardenwoods and quickly transitioned to her current role: managing the front desk staff, taking care of office administration tasks and helping Accounting Director Bill Melton with accounts receivable/accounts payable processes. “I’m really very happy here,” she continued. “I enjoy talking to the residents. Everyone is really friendly, and the staff I work with here in the office is just wonderful. I love them.”

When she’s not at Ardenwoods, Sue enjoys watching movies with her husband, following their favorite sports teams — whether they’re cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs or NASCAR driver Kyle Larson —  and spending time with her parents, children and grandchildren.