History
A gift that has continued to improve the quality of life for many people.
The story of Friendship Hill Retirement Center continues decades after Dr. Estelle Noe-Lewis and her husband provided healing care.
The Life of Dr. Estelle Noe-Lewis
A lifetime of caring for people began when Estelle Noe was born in Hammond, Illinois, on September 21, 1880. Dr. Noe-Lewis was the only child of a Hammond physician; she showed early musical talent, but chose to attend Hahnemann College in Chicago, being awarded a Doctor of Homeopathic Medicine degree in 1901.
The college was named for the German doctor who began homeopathy in the 1700s. Homeopathic medicine is an alternative system of practice that seeks to treat a disease with small doses of substances that would produce mild symptoms of that disease in a healthy person. Current scientific thought does not support the methods.
She met Tullius Lewis at Hahnemann College, and they married in 1905. They had no children. Dr. Lewis was friendly and outgoing while Dr. Noe-Lewis was strong willed and exacting. These combined qualities helped them build a successful practice together.
The Gift from Dr. Noe-Lewis
Dr. Lewis, her husband, died in 1946. She was devastated but continued to practice medicine. She was 85 at her death in 1966. She left a very large estate and a very long and detailed will and trust. The extensive list of beneficiaries included Hammond churches and the village itself, among many others.
Friendship Hill Retirement Center was established in 1970 as a living legacy of Dr. Noe-Lewis with money from her estate. Friendship Hill’s oldest buildings were originally the summer place of Dr. Noe-Lewis and Dr. Lewis. They named their special haven Friendship Hill. The newer Friendship Hill buildings have been built with the income supported by farm ground. The Glass House at Friendship Hill was Dr. Noe-Lewis's home there.
