Memories, sadness greet Montgomery Hospital demolition in Norristown

NORRISTOWN >> The start of a six-month demolition of the seven-story Montgomery Hospital building on Powell Street las week has unlocked a flood of emotional responses from former patients, employees and residents of the nearby Locust Street block.

Its sad, but it is what it is, said Leah Yzzi, a 16-year resident of Norristown who worked at the hospital as both a switchboard operator and as a teenage candy striper. It was stupid to move the hospital to East Norriton.

Yzzi gave birth to her three children Kailee, 13, Jordan 12, and Angelo, 8 at Montgomery Hospital.

I made a lot of friends there. My mom, Kathy Kriebel, worked there for 15 years as an oncology nurse, she said. My stepdad, Dave Trumbore, worked there as an infectious disease doctor. I actually candy striped there for two summers in high school. I liked doing that.

Yzzi was not concerned about the demolition work that will eventually remove the seven-story tower of the vacant hospital across the street from her home. The building faade is about 100 feet from her front door.

Karen Clarke, of Jamison, Bucks County, attended the Montgomery Hospital School of Nursing from 1973 to 1975 and then embarked on a 38-year career as a psychiatric nurse. She retired in late 2014.

I was 18 when I entered the program. It was a self-contained program and we lived in a dormitory across the back driveway from the hospital, Clarke said. We went to class in the basement of what became a medical office building. It was a hands-on type of learning environment.

Clarkes training was rushed at the end of the two-year program because they were closing the nursing program, she said. One of her training stints at Eastern State School and Hospital, a psychiatric facility, turned into a permanent job.

We went all over the place as part of our training. I thought it was an excellent program because I had the confidence to be able to go into any field of nursing, she said. I was very grateful for the instructors and the doctors that gave us some of the lectures. I think that training gave me a good nursing career.

Robert Holmes, 53, has lived across from the hospital on Locust Street for more than 15 years and was born at Montgomery. Continued...

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Memories, sadness greet Montgomery Hospital demolition in Norristown