HARRISVILLE — He walks the halls daily, offering a smile and kind words to fellow residents and staff members alike. He makes it a point to know and befriend virtually every person he meets.

But 15-year Transitions Healthcare Autumn Grove resident Roy Schmeelcke wasn’t always that way.

Schmeelcke, 46, lives in the nursing home due to complications from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

“He went through a lot of issues growing up and kept to himself for a long time,” said Patty Schmeelcke, his mother, who adopted him when he was 15 months old. “He rarely played with other kids, had no social life.

“Autumn Grove and sports changed all of that.”

Schmeelcke first learned about sports through his mother, who taught him about baseball when he was 5 years old.

“I’ve always loved baseball and I wanted to pass that on to him,” Patty said. “He really took to it. Eventually, he started learning and loving other sports.”

Inside Autumn Grove, sports became a way of life for him.

“I watch them on TV every day,” Schmeelcke said. “Golf, NASCAR, basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer … it doesn’t matter.”

Sports turned into his connection to the world outside of the nursing home. As a youth in Connecticut, he became a big Boston Red Sox and University of Connecticut men’s and women’s basketball fan. His interest in sports only grew from there.

Schmeelcke writes letters to different athletes and teams often. He’s written to NBA star LeBron James, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey great Sidney Crosby, the Red Sox, UConn championship basketball teams, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers and retired Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, among others.

“I just want to let them know I watch them and admire them, about how proud I am of them,” Schmeelcke said.

And sometimes, Schmeelcke hears back from them.

Crosby, James and Batch have sent him autographed photos. The Red Sox have sent him calendars and a lunch box. Retired UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun sent him an autograph and the 2025 NCAA champion UConn women’s basketball team recently sent him a picture of the team with its championship trophy.

“Sometimes letters can get lost,” retired Slippery Rock University football coach George Mihalik said. “If the people receiving them ever met Roy or got to know him … Those letters would never get lost.”

Mihalik would know. Schmeelcke has been attending Slippery Rock University football games for more than a decade. His first Rock football game marked the first live sporting event he ever attended,

It became his most memorable one as well.

This reporter introduced Schmeelcke to Mihalik after the game. The coach gave him a SRU football cap and introduced him to the players in the locker room.

“I recognized right away that Roy was a super fan and relished that experience,” Mihalik said. “It’s easy to do nice things and take care of people like that.”

“That was exciting and anxious for me,” Schmeelcke said, recalling that postgame encounter. “I was never that close to a team before. It was the first time I ever got to meet players, go inside a locker room. I’ll never forget that.

“I loved it.”

While his passion for the Red Sox and Pittsburgh sports teams persist, Schmeelcke’s favorite team became SRU football, which happened to play its home games only a few miles from his residence.

He has not missed a Rock football home game in more than 10 years. Mihalik never lost a game in which Schmeelcke attended and Schmeelcke has seen SRU lose only twice in person overall.

“Autumn Grove has given Roy the care that he needs. If they don’t have it, they get it for him,” his mother said. “Sports is almost a medicine for him. It’s brought out his personality. He’ll talk sports with anybody. He always knows what’s going on.

“He can’t play sports, but sports are his thing regardless. They’re how he connects with people.”

That personality continues to bloom.

“Roy knows everything that goes on here,” Autumn Grove physical therapist Wendy Gearhart said. “He practically helps us run the facility. He assists us with the resident schedule, reminds us of activities, assists residents in wheelchairs. He keeps us on our toes.

“He is a friendly, outgoing, enthusiastic individual. He keeps us informed, gives us Penguins and SRU schedules. We love the way he represents Autumn Grove.”

Mihalik echoed Gearhart’s sentiments.

“Roy has such a magnetic personality. I’ve seen how he is when we visit him (at Autumn Grove),” Gearhard said. “I jokingly ask him if he owns the place yet, are you mayor yet? That’s how popular he is.”

Befriending fellow residents in a nursing home isn’t always easy. Schmeelcke becomes friends with temporary residents doing rehab and watches them leave. He has had numerous friends die inside the home from old age or illness.

Regardless, the smile never leaves his face.

“It’s part of life,” he said of the deaths of fellow residents. “It’s hard at first, but then I remember the good times I had with them. Then it’s easy to smile.”

When asked why he is so quick to extend the hand of friendship, Schmeelcke replied, “That’s just the way I am.”

A far cry from the social isolation he felt as a child.

“Much of Roy’s life is sports and Rock football has played a big role in his life,” Mihalik said. “His connection to Rock football has led to a connection with my family, my wife Laura, our daughters … We’ve had him over to our house, to victory celebrations in our home.”

Schmeelcke joined a massive celebration at the Mihalik home in Slippery Rock the night the football team won one of its conference championship games in November 2014.

There, Mihalik, other coaches and Schmeelcke posed together for a picture, holding the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship trophy.

“That night was amazing,” Schmeelcke said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I felt like I was part of the team. That feeling … I don’t know how to describe it.”

He’s become an integral part of the Autumn Grove team as well.

“Sports are Roy’s connection to the community,” Gearhart said. “In here, he helps us in so many ways. We’re grateful to him and we’re grateful for him.”