The golden years
Della Adams doesn’t recall why she started to volunteer at Washington Hospital. But she does know that she thoroughly enjoys it.
And the proof is in her years of service.
The 90-year-old Washington woman is celebrating her 50th anniversary as a volunteer – all at the same “job.” Every Tuesday evening, Della can be found working the register in the gift shop.
“She never sits,” said Karen Painter of Washington, who has worked alongside Della during her three-hour shift each week for the past year. “I thought she was 70. Then she said, ‘I have a son who’s retired. He’s 72.’ She’s an angel.”
Indeed she is.
With the arrival of spring, Della hopes to increase the number of hours she volunteers.
“My kids want me to cut down, but they know I love coming up here,” she said. “I don’t know how many smocks I’ve worn out. I like the people, the customers and the volunteers. It’s a lot of fun most of the time.”
Actually, her family has been very supportive over the years. Della recalls that when one son was in the Army, a typical Sunday for Della involved going to church, eating lunch with her family, volunteering at the hospital, then coming home, just in time to drive her son to Pittsburgh.
“I thank God every day he came home with a sound mind and body,” Della said.
When Della started volunteering at Washington Hospital, Lyndon B. Johnson was president, minimum wage was $1.25, and electronic cash registers were in their infancy, unable to calculate change. Today, the gift shop has a point-of-sale terminal, one in the latest of several types of registers she has had to learn through the years.
“I’ve gone through a lot of registers,” said Della, who didn’t care for the latest machine at first, but was determined to master it so she could train other volunteers. She also takes pride in making sure her drawer balances.
“I remember my sister signed up with me, but she didn’t last long,” Della said. “She said, ‘If I have to work that hard, I want to get paid.'”
Della also has witnessed several other changes in the gift shop. For instance, when she started, there was a coffee shop within the gift shop. She said the volunteers had to wear white waitress uniforms to serve customers. Eventually, the coffee shop closed, and the gift shop expanded.
Della didn’t learn how to drive until after her two sons were born, and it was her husband, Eugene, who taught her. The couple were married for 56 years before Eugene’s death.
“We only had one car, so there wasn’t much need to learn to drive,” said Della, who renewed her license just a few months ago. “As long as I can drive, I will continue to volunteer.”
In her spare time, Della enjoys working on puzzles, playing solitaire on the computer and reading her Kindle. She prefers mysteries, and counts James Patterson among her favorite authors. But her favorite book is the Bible, which she also can access on her Kindle.
She faithfully checks her emails, too, and woke up one winter morning to a friendly reminder from one of her sons, who repeatedly had typed, “WEAR GLOVES!” Turns out, Della had gotten frostbite while feeding the squirrels in her backyard.
On Saturdays, Della meets other Washington Health System volunteers for lunch – and some casual conversation – at Washington Crown Center.
“We all just love her,” Painter said. “Everybody who comes in jokes with her and talks with her. She knows everybody.”