Infinitesimally slim, to be sure.

Joan and Tom Tibbitts celebrated both milestones earlier this year, but a third milestone number they achieved turns out to be the most important of all for the community of Fort Dodge. That number — 51.

That’s how many years they’ve been residents of the city, raising three daughters and touching hundreds of lives along the way, in particular through their work in health care and in education — and in much volunteering.

Fate may have taken them elsewhere when Tom Tibbitts was working in administrative positions at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City, after earning a master’s degree in hospital administration. That’s when a friend in his graduate school program, Gary Edwards, mentioned there was an opening at Trinity Regional Hospital — newly formed with the 1974 merger of Fort Dodge Mercy Hospital and Bethesda General Hospital (formerly Lutheran Hospital).

“I interviewed with Duncan Moore, the CEO of the combined hospitals, and was hired as associate director, with my office at Mercy Hospital,” Tibbitts said.

So in the fall of 1974 Joan and Tom and their three young daughters — Tracy, Jennifer and Jill — moved to Fort Dodge. Their intent was to stay for five years.

“The hospitals had just completed the merger,” he said. “It was a great opportunity. Key to the merger was Maurie Stark, who had the ability to coalesce opposing views. He was constantly helping me make sure the Catholic contingent was respected. The end result was a strong hospital that became a regional medical center.”

Tibbitts’ six-year path to becoming the hospital’s president and CEO, succeeding Moore, started as Trinity’s associate director and then executive vice president. But he left the hospital in 1978, hired by Richard Lindeberg to be executive vice president of First Federal Savings & Loan in Fort Dodge.

“Dick Lindeberg founded First Federal and was a member of the Trinity Hospital board,” Tibbitts said. “He came to me with a great offer, and I was there a little over a year. One thing the experience gave me that ended up giving me a leg up when I came back — I traveled to the smaller communities around Fort Dodge to promote the savings and loan, meeting people in the area, asking what can we do to support you. That carried over to selling Trinity and helping make it a regional presence. And right after I took the job, the CFO was injured in an automobile accident and Dick came to me and said that one of my new responsibilities was interim CFO and that the budget preparation for the next year was mine. I learned a lot about finances in a very short time which helped when I returned to Trinity as the CEO.”

Tibbitts served as president and CEO of Trinity Regional Medical Center from 1980 to 2008 and was president and CEO of Trinity Health Systems Inc. — which encompassed the medical center, Trimark Physicians Group, Northwoods Living, Trinity Health Foundation and the Berryhill Center for Mental Health — from 1985 to 2010.

In the years before he retired in 2013, Tibbitts served as vice president for systems development for the statewide lowa Health System and held interim president/CEO positions for Trinity Regional Health System, Quad Cities, lowa & Illinois, and for Allen Health System of Waterloo.

Tibbitts said the proudest accomplishments of his career are twofold: “First, working with employees, board and physicians to build Trinity Medical Center into a statewide recognized regional health care center providing quality patient care. And second, working with community leaders to build Fort Dodge into a vibrant community providing regional leadership in economic development, health care and education for northwest, central Iowa.”

Two of today’s leaders of Trinity believe Tibbitts’ service was instrumental in its growth and success.

“Tom served Trinity Regional Medical Center with dedication for 30 years, from 1980 to 2010,” said Leah Glasgo, market president, UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge. “As the president and CEO, he transformed our organization into a multispecialty, regional referral center. His innovation and hard work established the foundation for the strong health care system Trinity is today. Tom’s contributions continue to shape Trinity and will be felt for generations to come.”

Added Shannon McQuillen, vice president, operations, “I was honored to begin my career at UnityPoint Health 20 years ago under Tom’s exceptional leadership. He was a visionary leader, a strategic thinker, and a mentor. I am grateful to him for recruiting me to the Fort Dodge community and for the invaluable opportunity to learn from his example. Tom’s lasting influence on Trinity Regional Medical Center and the Fort Dodge community continues to be deeply felt.”

Tibbitts said one of his best hires was appointing Randy Kuhlman in 1988 as Trinity’s director of marketing, communications and business development, the Community Action Network, Community Health Outreach and the Trinity Health Foundation.

“He did an outstanding job of developing a solid donor base for the hospital,” said Tibbitts, who later recommended Kuhlman to be director of what is now the Fort Dodge Community Foundation. The two remain close friends to this day.

Kuhlman said it was a privilege to work with Tibbitts for 21 years.

“During his tenure, Tom led the effort to transition and grow the hospital system into a strong and successful regional health care organization serving Fort Dodge and a six-county region in north central Iowa,” he said. “His leadership was defined by six characteristics: visionary, innovative, professional, trustworthiness, service and compassion.

“Tom was also an influential community leader who was often the first person to be called to help lead an important community initiative. Tom’s love for the Fort Dodge community was reflected in his willingness and ability to address important community issues and lead community betterment projects that were focused on making Fort Dodge an even better place to live. His love of his community is also demonstrated by his ongoing commitment to giving back through his caring and generous philanthropic support for numerous organizations and projects to help make Fort Dodge a special place that we all call home.”

Tibbitts was born March 24, 1945, in New Hampton, and graduated from Lake City High School in 1963. His father, Thomas Tibbitts, was a grade school principal and his mother, Rita Mary, was a grade school teacher.

Joan Boes was born June 12, 1945, in Carroll to Clarence and Florence Boes and graduated from Glidden High School. Her father was a farmer in the Coon Rapids area and her mother was a seamstress in Carroll.

He was attending Cornell College in Mount Vernon when he met Joan, who was attending Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls. How they met? “Joan was dating a friend of mine and I dated the friend’s sister,” he replied.

They were married July 3, 1965, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lidderdale, in Carroll County, after their sophomore year and were newlyweds when he began classes at Iowa in the fall. Tibbitts earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1968 and a master’s in hospital administration in 1970. Joan graduated from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake in 1984.

Education and medicine have been the predominant career themes of their three daughters and their families. All three were born in Iowa City and are graduates of Fort Dodge Senior High and the University of Iowa.

Tracy Hartley, married to Bruce Hartley, graduated from Iowa in 1989 and has taught at Fort Dodge Senior High for 30 years. Bruce taught in the Fort Dodge public school system for 32 years and is currently principal at St. Paul Lutheran School in Fort Dodge. They have three children: Thomas, Taylor and Grace. Thomas graduated from Iowa and is teaching in Riverside. Taylor will graduate from Iowa in physical therapy in 2025 and Grace will graduate from Iowa in marketing in 2025.

Jennifer Berst Filloon, married to Jon Filloon, graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry; she practices in Cedar Rapids and lives in Iowa City. They have three children: Megan, Matthew and Madeline. Megan graduated from Iowa with a master’s in health care administration and is working at the University of Kansas Hospitals in Kansas City. Matthew graduated from Iowa and works for Farm Bureau in Cedar Rapids. Madeline is currently enrolled in Iowa’s College of Dentistry.

Jill Goodman lives in Iowa City and completed her OB/GYN residency from the Iowa College of Medicine; she practices in Iowa City. She has three children: Joey, Ryan and Eric. Joey graduated from the University of Missouri and works for Hershey in Boston. Ryan is a sophomore at Iowa State University. Eric is a freshman at West High School in Iowa City.

Two of the Tibbitts’ grandchildren are married: Thomas Hartley to Lauren, and Matthew Berst to Isabel, who are expecting the Tibbitts’ first great-grandchild in January 2026.

The Tibbitts have been heavily involved in the community and various service organizations over their 51 years in Fort Dodge. Joan was an elementary school teacher for 20 years, mostly at Butler Elementary School, and served 15 years as a volunteer for an agency that assists domestic sexual assault victims. They have been members of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Dodge for 50 years.

What kept the Tibbitts in Fort Dodge and led Tom to turn down offers to work elsewhere?

“This is a great question that really made me think,” he said. “When we moved to Fort Dodge in 1974, we planned to stay for approximately five years. Joan and I came from small towns in Iowa and thought Fort Dodge would be a nice size community to make friends and become involved in community activities. During this five-year period, I worked with and learned from leaders who had accomplished a major event for Fort Dodge, merging two hospitals, Catholic and Lutheran, to form a new, stronger institution, Trinity Medical Center. Leaders like O.M. and Julie Olson, Maurice Stark, Art Johnson, John Murray, D.A. Peterson, Dick Lindeberg, Tom and Norma Schmoker, and Walt Stevens were just a few names who built the foundation for a strong future.

“Joan and I agreed that we were in a neat community where we could raise our three girls and be involved in the community, so we decided to stay.

“Fort Dodge to me is kind of a crown jewel of this size community in the state of Iowa. In my work over the years with community leaders, we kind of adopted the Nike slogan — ‘Just Do It!'”

Among their goals for the rest of their years are to enjoy family and friends, travel (revisiting Italy and visits to England and the northeast United States on their bucket list) and continue to financially give back to Fort Dodge.

Working with the Fort Dodge Community Foundation, the Tibbitts’ goal, Tom said, “is giving back. Our goal is that by the time we die, we will have given a million dollars back. We’re just about halfway there.”

And the secret to reaching 60 years of marriage and 80 years of life?

Tibbitts said: “Joan and I both agree on this: focusing on faith, family and friends while staying active, both mentally and physically.”