March 12, 2025 —This month Quinn Barbee is celebrating his 13-year anniversary as a Kendal employee. During his tenure at Kendal he has worked in Facility Services – three years in Transportation and the last decade in Maintenance.
“I love being able to give the residents the support they need and to treat everyone with special kindness, just like they were my immediate family,” he says adding, “They are my Kendal family.”
Quinn Barbee, Facility Services
Focus on Safety for Residents and Staff
Along with the many maintenance responsibilities required to keep a 100+-acre residential community humming, Quinn likes to send out safety reminders to staff and residents, for instance reminding them that leaf-covered sidewalks and roadways are slick.
“Anything that’s laid on my heart,” he says, adding, “I’m always thinking of safety and looking out for everybody.”
Quinn was born in Elyria and grew up in Oberlin. He attended Oberlin City Schools and played varsity basketball and football in high school. He is a veteran of U.S. Army. Following training in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, he was stationed in Giessen, Germany, serving a total of four years.
Before joining Kendal he spent 15 years working as a correctional officer at nearby Grafton Correctional Institution.
His free time? “I love going to sporting events at all levels and attending Second Baptist Church in Elyria, and singing in the church’s male chorus,” he says.
Story by Molly Kavanaugh
In the past, Molly Kavanaugh frequently wrote about Kendal at Oberlin for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where she was a reporter for 16 years. Now we are happy to have her writing for the Kendal at Oberlin Community.
About Kendal at Oberlin: Kendal is a nonprofit life plan community serving older adults in northeast Ohio. Located about one mile from Oberlin College and Conservatory, and about a 40 minute drive from downtown Cleveland, Kendal offers a vibrant resident-led lifestyle with access to music, art and lifelong learning