Hobby Farm Family
I was born and raised in Salem, Oregon. I am the daughter of Jody and LeRoy Barfknecht. We were a family of five kids and lots of animals, including chickens, ducks, horses, mules, and, of course, tons of cats and dogs. Mom was a crisis counselor who taught me to help and love all people no matter their stage or economic status in life. Dad is a beloved mechanic whose business, West Gate Auto, has served the West Salem community for nearly 60 years and is still going strong today. I learned a lot from my dad’s willingness to help those in need and his love for sharing his personal faith with all that came to his shop.

Love of Music
When I was a little girl, dad played the guitar while singing the songs he wrote. At 5 years old, we started singing and recording. We would sing together at church and retirement communities. Later, he taught me to play the guitar. About 30 years later, in 2006, we decided to record a bluegrass album and called it “30 Years in The Makin’.” They were all of dad’s original songs plus one original song I had written titled, “Send Me.” That album became a hit on the Route 66 Radio Station in Dublin, Ireland. People loved the father-daughter duo.

In 2012, I recorded my own country/blues album inspired by my dad titled Mechanic’s Daughter, which played in London and Spain. It didn’t lead to anything big, but I was just happy to have accomplished a dream. The songs were all my favorite songs that continue inspire my life. Visit www.JerushaLee.com for more information on both albums.

Foreign Lands
In high school, I was proud to be the German Club President, since that was our heritage. Later in the summer, I went to Germany with a group of students as an exchange student for one month. My host parents only spoke German, so learning the German language and culture became rather easy. We spent a week in Austria as well. I enjoyed it so much that later I went back again and visited my host family.

A huge passion of mine is volunteering overseas in different cultures. My first volunteering experience was in 1995 serving in Kobe, Japan. A group of bible school students and I volunteered with the Red Cross for three months after a devastating earthquake. I worked in a soup kitchen preparing Miso soup for hundreds of homeless people daily. No one in the soup kitchen spoke English, so learning Japanese was essential, and I picked it up quickly. On one occasion, I even translated for Red Cross. The city was demolished, but the people’s resilience was strong. I loved the people of Japan, their culture, and all that I experienced there.

In 2009, I served one month in Ethiopia with a Christian medical team at an extremely bare hospital and in outlying villages. I went back the following year for another month with the same team. We treated hundreds of people daily. We always had lines of people waiting for help. They would walk for days just to get help. Since I could pick up languages quickly, I started learning Oromo and began determining the people’s needs. The ailments were unreal. People really are starving in Africa. Even though they had so little, their daily joy motivated me. Returning to my home in America with running water and electricity was very humbling.

I also had the honor to travel to the Brazilian Amazon for a few weeks with the team again. We provided dental care and minor surgical services. Our team slept in hammocks on a boat and sailed the Amazon treating whoever came to the riverside. If we wanted to shower, we swam in the river to get “clean.” It was a quick bath because I could only think about the piranhas and alligators in the water. My job was to set up the triage areas and assist the doctors. The Amazon lifestyle was eye- opening. The people were lucky if they had four walls or a roof, but their spirits were always high and appreciated all we did for them. They had few possessions, but they were amazingly happy. I absolutely loved being on the river, listening to the jungle sounds, and serving the people.I was finally “Jerusha of the Jungle”...a long dream of mine.

Serving Seniors
Serving the senior generation has been the cornerstone of my career and my greatest passion. I worked 24 years in the retirement industry holding various corporate positions. My most central goal was to touch the lives of as many seniors as I possibly could. As Director of Marketing, I personally assisted over 2500 senior citizens transition from their homes to retirement communities. As Director of Resident Enrichment, I oversaw the life-enriching, purpose-filled activities of seniors in 350 international retirement communities. My department developed an international volunteering program where 35,000 seniors could join on the same day and serve one particular non-profit organization, such as Habitat for Humanity. I was awarded the International Innovator Award from the International Council on Active Aging. That was a great honor. The seniors taught me to laugh often, not take life so seriously and to love generously because you never know how much time you have with the ones you love. Above all, I learned to make the most of every moment because life is short.

Seniors: Al Bakke
One senior touched my life so much that I wrote a song about him. His name was Al Bakke. He had no living family, no kids, was widowed, and felt alone. He always sat with his wife’s urn in front of him. He said he wished he had already passed, had his ashes mixed with hers, and had them spread over the ocean together. I could not imagine how this man could be so lonely and sad. It broke my heart in a million pieces. He was shocked that I started crying and asked me why. I shared that he was alive, right now in front of me, and I couldn’t stand the thought of him gone. When I was leaving, he asked me to leave my tissue on the counter. I asked why, and he said he wanted to keep my tears to remind him when he passes, someone will cry for him. That was it... the song was born. I grabbed my guitar and wrote the music and lyrics to a song, “Send Me.” No one should ever feel that lonely, defeated, afraid and broken.That song was recorded on both albums. You should have seen Al’s face when he found out a song about him had played all over the world. I even made a video about him. He became an inspiration to thousands to reach out to the lonely and afraid. He said he finally had a legacy! A few years later, he called me and shared he was on hospice with little time left. I booked a flight immediately and got to spend his last days just listening to him share his stories. He just needed a friend. He will never know how much he changed my life forever.

Today
I am a licensed Real Estate Broker, a certified Senior Real Estate Specialist and owner of Senior Nation Real Estate Group. Our passion is to serve “the Greatest Generation” in their home transition. Our mission is “Sincerely Serving Seniors with Great Compassion and Transactional Excellence.” I absolutely love to serve senior citizens. I’ve received multiple recognitions in Real Estate sales such as being top local sales, top 1% companywide and top 15% nationwide. It is truly my honor to be by my client’s side as they go through this change and to assist them with every need they encounter during this transition. I now live on five acres in West Salem with my wonderful husband, Robert, and blessed son, Dylan. It has been an absolute joy slowly building a little hobby farm with lots of animals. Now that you know a little more about me and why I am a realtor, I hope that you will call me today at (541) 668-5540 for a personal home visit. It is my mission to assist each client in achieving their housing needs with the highest level of compassion and integrity. It would be my honor to assist you in finding the next place you call home.