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Recognizing 35 Years of Service to Our Community

We’re just going to say it up front – we have the best staff in senior living! The employees at Edenwald are uniquely dedicated to the wellbeing of our residents, and some have taken that dedication to the next level with decades of service to our residents. We talked to some of our long tenured team members to see what it is they think that makes Edenwald so special, and why they’ve stayed around for so long. Take a peek at our profiles below to get to know them even better!

Joe

Our residents simply adore Joe Johnson in Maintenance. He helps all of our new move-ins hang their décor and photographs, always making sure our residents feel at home in their new apartments.  He got his start at Edenwald by chance 34 years ago, when his mother and her friend decided it was time for Joe to get a job. He put in an application, was interviewed immediately, and got hired that same day! He thought it would be a temporary job for just a few months. Back then, Edenwald was in the process of moving residents from Edenwald’s predecessor, the Greisenheim, to our present location in Towson, and Joe was responsible for moving two entire apartments per day. Through that process the residents fell in love with his personality, and he decided there was no reason for him to leave. Like Viola, Joe now has the chance to help residents who remember him from when their parents were living at our community!

In his time outside of Edenwald, Joe likes to design and sew clothes. When one of our former employees wasn’t able to afford the designer wedding dress that she had her heart set on, Joe priced fabrics and sewed her a gown that made her wildest dreams come true. That’s the type of generosity and attention to detail that he brings our residents and co-workers every day.

Viola

Viola Gladden is our longest tenured employee here at Edenwald. She has served the community and its residents for 42 years, which is actually several years before we relocated to the Towson area in 1985. This community has been a home away from home for her. She started at our old location in Baltimore City and worked there for about 7 years before the Greisenheim transitioned into Edenwald. Throughout every company transition, she always felt cared for and valued. She had a great mentor who saw potential in her which prompted her to become a Certified Dining Manager, which was what really solidified her desire to stay at Edenwald for the long haul. Viola is always looking to improve herself, which certainly reflects in her work ethic and relationships with the residents. She is amazed by the fact that she now cares for residents who first met her when she was caring for their parents – they trust Viola, and she handles that trust with great care and consideration.

Kathleen (Kit) & Karen

Karen and Kathleen (Kit) Tucker are twin sisters, both working at Edenwald for over 40 years now in our Housekeeping and Culinary Services departments respectively. They started working at Edenwald out of happenstance when they were looking for work – Kit was hired, and she instantly passed the word on to Karen that she needed to apply. Like Viola, they started with our company back when it was still called the Greisenheim located on Athol Avenue downtown, and they liked working with our residents so much that they followed along with our move! While the sisters prefer to stay out of the spotlight, they are well known amongst our staff and residents alike for their kind natures and persistent work ethic for our community. Kit told us that one of the most special parts of working here is that during the winter season, Edenwald residents are so concerned about our staff traveling to and from work safely, so they always make sure to check in.

Lisa

One of our Housekeeping superstars, Lisa Minter has been with Edenwald for over 34 years and does everything in her power to embody kindness. She lives strictly by the golden rule to ‘treat everyone as you would like to be treated,’ which is one of the many reasons why our residents love her so much. She started working with our community by chance when she was looking for work, and she has never looked back. When we asked Lisa about why she has decided to stay so long, she had a plethora of reasons why the Edenwald community is such a wonderful place to work! She said that at the end of the day it’s really about the fact that, “we are the residents’ families, and we have to take care of them.” That mindset has made her beloved amongst our residents, who shared that Lisa’s permanent smile helps to brighten their days.

Make sure you give our outstanding employees a shout out when you see them around the Edenwald’s community!