Remaining dedicated to the same workplace for 42 years—as recently retired dietary aide Viola Carr did at The Gardens of St. Francis—really says something about an employee’s character. Of course, inspiring that degree of commitment in a staffer also makes a fairly clear statement about the quality of a workplace. After all, people don’t typically devote over four decades of their lives to a facility unless there’s something there that truly inspires and fulfills them.
Viola, 64, was just two weeks out of high school in 1978 when she began working at The Gardens of St. Francis in Oregon, Ohio. Her two sisters were employed there as well. Now part of CHI Living Communities, The Gardens of St. Francis was then owned and operated by The Little Sisters of the Poor. At the time of her hiring, Viola was one of only a few dietary aides, and she received training from two of the facility’s residents who were doing the job prior to her arrival.
Looking back over her 42-year tenure at The Gardens of St. Francis, Viola’s fondest memories are of the residents she served. “I’m really going to miss them. That’s for sure. I loved listening to their stories from back in the day. It was interesting to learn about where they used to work and what their lives were like, and I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of their families. The best part was seeing the residents’ smiles. When they were happy, I was happy,” she says.
Viola also has very fond memories of her coworkers, who she says were like family. “We all got along really well, and many of the younger employees were like my own kids. We had a lot of fun times in that kitchen while we worked,” she states.
Among the many aspects of her job that she’ll miss, Viola mentions the delicious meals prepared by Gardens of St. Francis cook Travis Ritchie. “Everyone really appreciated his cooking, and I think he appreciated us too because he would sometimes surprise the employees with a special meal. My favorites were his chicken parmesan and chicken fettuccini. On my last day on the job, he made the chicken fettuccini for me. I really enjoyed that,” she says.
Viola’s dedication and caring, compassionate spirit clearly made a powerful impression on the people around her at The Gardens of St. Francis as well. In fact, in 2010, she was nominated for and honored with the Jeanne Jugan Award “in recognition of outstanding dedication to the mission of Jeanne Jugan,” patron saint of the elderly and destitute and founder of The Little Sisters of the Poor.
Now that she’s retired, Viola plans to keep herself busy babysitting her granddaughter a couple days a week. She’ll always have a special place in her heart for the residents and staff at The Gardens of St. Francis and hopes that in her absence, the facility will keep growing and doing everything possible to keep residents and their loved ones happy. ✲
