Just call them “The Sassy Sisters on South Street.”
Three widowed sisters settled into a remodeled church at 503 South St. a little over a year ago. They’ve spent the ensuing months adapting the building to meet their needs, immersing themselves in the community as volunteers and rediscovering their sisterly bond.
The story starts with Floyd and Mabel Boler of Elsmore, who had six girls and three boys between 1939 and 1957. Hellen Boler Mercing Welch, now 85, is the oldest. Then came Shirley in 1941, Sharon “Kay” in 1944, Betty in 1945, Alice in 1952 and Clara in 1955. Clara passed away in 2020.
The daughters became known collectively as the “Boler Girls.” Each got married and started a family and a career. Hellen, Betty Hawley and Clara Cunningham stayed in the local area. Kay Brower lived in the Pittsburg and Girard areas. Shirley Dinkins and Alice Bolin moved to other states.
Each forged her own identity over the next few decades. They faced the kind of challenges that happen in any family: divorce, health issues, death of a spouse. The family stayed close, although distance made it difficult for some of the sisters to gather more than once or twice a year.
Alice, who earned a law degree and worked as a legislative analyst in Kansas, Colorado and Nevada, retired in 2018. She and her husband, Dale, sold their condominium and purchased a motorhome, with plans to travel and spend more time with family. But almost immediately, Dale fell and broke his hip. During his hospitalization, he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Alice became his caregiver until he passed away in April 2019. She decided to keep living in the motorhome, and soon became the caregiver for sister Clara until she died in February 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic followed, and it made sense for Alice to continue to live in the motorhome. She stayed at an RV park at LaHarpe until she received an intriguing invite from sister Hellen.
What if they moved in together? 
HELLEN was widowed twice, in 1993 and 1998. A few years later, she built an apartment next to the home of her daughter, Juli, in a rural area west of Elsmore. She retired in 2005 as senior vice-president and trust officer at TeamBank.
Soon, Hellen resolved to help Juli’s daughter, Magie, find a home to purchase. Magie struggled to find something that fit her needs and her budget. Hellen learned the Iola Seventh-Day Adventist Church at South and Spruce streets was for sale. Magie was skeptical, but her grandmother convinced her the church could be remodeled into a nice home.
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church was built in 1892 across from a carriage and blacksmith shop. It was moved two blocks south because noise from the nearby businesses made it difficult to hear the sermons. It was remodeled in 1950 to add a new room with a basement for a school and restrooms.
Magie bought the church and began a renovation. The east rooms, which previously served as church offices, became a bedroom and large bathroom. The pulpit area became a kitchen. In fact, Magie left the baptismal tub in place and built the kitchen floor — and kitchen cabinets — on top of it. A countertop takes the place of the pulpit. The sanctuary became a large living area. The pulpit, sound system and chairs were relocated to the Elsmore Community Building.
After some time, both Hellen and Magie were ready for a change. Magie wanted to move back home to save money. Hellen was tired of living alone in the country. She and Alice looked for a home to share and split costs, while living closer to health care services and grocery stores. They couldn’t find anything they liked.
“We looked at everything that was a possibility,” Hellen said. “We wanted something we could move right into, that didn’t require a remodel, but everything was too expensive.”
So, Magie and Hellen decided to switch homes. Magie moved into the apartment in the country in September 2023, and Hellen moved into the church. She knew it would take major remodeling, but the former sanctuary was large enough to accommodate multiple bedrooms and another bathroom.
