Noah’s House At Anne Grady Center Provides Respite Service For Special Needs Children
BY NANCY GAGNET— MIRROR REPORTER
When R.W. Mills and his wife Laurie unveiled a plaque in honor of their late son Noah, for whom Noah’s House Respite Care at Anne Grady Services is named, Laurie became teary eyed.
“It’s humbling and amazing and we know that our little boy is looking down and smiling at us from heaven,” she said during a dedication ceremony on March 24.
The youngest of the Mills’ four boys, Noah was born with a medical condition that required around-the-clock care. The family turned to the services offered at Anne Grady.
Seeing the need for respite care services for children with developmental disabilities and special needs, the Mills along with Richard Torchia, Anne Grady board president, worked to establish the facility, originally called Annie’s House, in 2003.
Noah died unexpectedly in January 2003, just weeks before his 6th birthday, and wasn’t able to stay at the respite facility.
In 2009, Dave Boston, Anne Grady executive director, announced that Annie’s House would be renamed Noah’s House, in honor of Noah and all he symbolizes for the children and their families who seek help there.
“It’s what we dreamed of, but we didn’t think it would come this far,” Laurie said.
She helped design the area, with an emphasis on a space that feels warm and comfortable.
R.W., who is a pediatrician, said the facility provides incredible opportunities for families of children with special needs.
“There is a tremendous amount of stress on families who have special needs children and the assurance of proper care in a setting like this is huge,” he said.
The Mills also established the Noah Foundation, which provides financial support for families who want to use the respite service but have limited financial resources.
“On one hand, it’s heartbreaking because it’s been seven years since his death,” R.W said. “But with this, his memory lives on.”
Noah’s House provides care to children with special needs, either planned or in response to an emergency. It provides overnight respite care for up to eight children.
Recreational activities are available, as well as licensed nursing personnel on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Anne Grady Services is located at 1525 Eber Rd. in Holland.
For more information, call (419) 866-6500 or visit www.annegrady.org.

Warm Weather, High Water Marks Beginning Of Annual Walleye Run
BY ART WEBER — MIRROR OUTDOOR EDITOR
When the frogs start singing – and they have – it’s a safe bet that the first walleye have already been caught in the Maumee River.
And walleye are being caught, marking the beginning of the run.
Actually the walleye run is still more like a walk compared to what it will be in a few weeks, but there are already a few anglers going home with their limits.
“They’ve been catching walleye for five or six days now,” Gary Lowry said last weekend.
Gary and his wife, Janice, own and operate Maumee Tackle on West Wayne Street in downtown Maumee and are celebrating 20 years of serving the hordes of anglers who descend this time of year for the world-famous walleye run.
“We’ve had the warmer temperatures and the high water, two things that in combination will bring the walleye up for sure,” he said. “And they’re doing better. The fishing has improved dramatically over the last two days. As expected, we’re seeing mostly males right now, but there have been a few females brought to our store.”
Higher water initially kept anglers from crossing the channel to the great spots off Bluegrass Island, something that changed by last Sunday – and may well change again by the time this column is printed.
Water temperatures and levels can fluctuate day to day, even hour to hour, especially this time of year when air temperatures can reach a high of 70 degrees one day and be in the 40s the next, while storm systems can roar through and drop buckets of rain, turning a friendly Maumee into a raging torrent.
For now, though, the higher river levels are slowly receding and, as of Sunday afternoon, Side Cut duty ranger Rich Kiss reported levels were at just over 581 feet, just about a foot above so-called normal levels (580 feet).
As the water levels drop, water clarity should improve, too.
“The fishing is pretty good,” Bob Heckman, operations supervisor at Side Cut Metropark, said last Saturday. “The water’s murky but they seem to be doing OK. I’ve been seeing some limits today.”
On Saturday, water levels were still high enough to keep anglers from crossing to Bluegrass and generally away from Side Cut, but, according to Bob, “down at White Street in Maumee and Orleans Park in Perrysburg, the people were down there like mad.”
So the recent warm weather has brought out both anglers and walleye, with the promise that soon more of both will be descending on the prime walleye fishing stretch of the river that reaches from Jerome Road downstream to White Street.
Water temperatures were hovering around the 46-degree mark last weekend, but that’s still a jump away from 52 degrees, the trigger temperature for females to lay eggs.
Last Sunday marked more of the same – decent fishing, slowly falling water levels, slowly rising temperatures.
“We’ve been busy today,” Rich said last Sunday. “And the fishermen have been catching some walleye, too. It’s been common to see two to three walleye on stringers. I spent some time watching the area by Jerome Road, the upper rapids area that’s one of the honey holes, and I saw guys netting fish. A few have managed to make the crossing to Bluegrass.”
Rich guessed that over 200 anglers tried their luck last Sunday. Before the run peters out later in April, tens of thousands will try their luck.
The water stayed murky all weekend – last Sunday morning water visibility was a mere two inches.
“When it’s murky, the best lures are glow in the dark,” Gary said. “Black, orange and pink are good in those conditions. Chartreuse isn’t bad either.
“With levels dropping below 582 feet, the water will start clearing up, and pink or chartreuse and white will work best.”
Gary and Janice bring 20 years of experience as both anglers and bait store owners. That experience has brought them a walleye wisdom that they share advice freely.
“You should fish lighter and smaller, as long as your rig is heavy enough to get to the bottom where the walleye are,” Gary said.
Gary’s choice of tackle is the Carolina rig.
“Anglers switched to the Carolina rig about eight to 10 years ago,” Gary said. “It’s the most popular way to take walleyes from the Maumee. That rig won’t hang up as badly on the bottom and, also, when a walleye draws water into its mouth to get your bait, there is little to no weight to the rig. As a result, the walleye will take the rig farther into its mouth and you’ll get a good hook-up.”
Gary notes that most Maumee River anglers use spinning tackle, but bait casters will work well, too.
“I like rods with medium to medium light action,” Gary said. “I keep my two favorites in stock at the shop and we sell a lot of them.
“Both are from St. Croix’s Avid Series. My favorite is the medium-light power extra fast action rod, which is a six-foot, nine-inch rod. The other is the medium power Avid, a six-foot, eight-inch rod that’s extra fast action.”
For Gary and Janice, this is their last walleye run at the helm of Maumee Tackle. Before they hang up their waders one last time, they’re going to again sponsor a one-day walleye tournament with thousands in prizes.
For more information go to their Web site, www.MaumeeTackle.net.
Sometime later this year they’ll sell the business and turn in earnest to their plans to build a home and move to Costa Rica.
His goal – to get a great photo of every bird in that avian rich Central American country.
“I’m 25 percent of the way,” Gary said.