The ReUnite home has always been a place for moms, and the former Marine who helped develop the facility couldn’t be happier that the tradition continues.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” said 84-year-old Lee Morton, whose family once owned the property now managed by ReUnite Ministries. “I have nothing but good feelings about the whole thing.”
The 10-bedroom ReUnite home began in the late 1990s as an assisted living facility. Its development was a win-win for everyone involved — Lee’s aging mother, Dorothy, a former church secretary and Sunday school teacher, and two nurses, who wanted to develop a senior care center in Blount County.
Lee donated his family’s property and the two nurses constructed the facility. Lee had stipulations, however. He required that the new property owners care for his mother until her passing, and that they name the facility in her honor. And so began the Dorothy Morton Center for Quality Assisted Living.
“I wanted people to know my mama was there. She didn’t get enough recognition in her life,” Lee said. “I still feel good about that deal.” Since the center was literally next door to the home he shared with his wife, Mildred, Lee could check in on his mother as often as he wanted. “It was a super good situation.”
Though the building no longer bears his mother’s name, the same spirit lives. ReUnite is still a home for moms.