Leaving a Legacy - A Tribute to Andrea Graham

_{February 28, 2023}
Avon Place said our heartfelt goodbyes to someone who means so much to our staff members, residents, and families. We want to take this time to honor Andrea Graham for her selfless and dedicated service to our facility and residents. She has touched the lives of many and has been an influential figure to all of us, no matter how long you knew her.

Andrea Graham started working with us on September 9th, 1977, when the facility was formally known as Good Samaritan. She started in the Dietary Department, and that's where she remained for the entire 45 years she worked here. Andrea had done and could do every job in the kitchen. She did it all - from being a cook to running the dish machine to prep work. She loved baking and making anything she could from scratch. She took pride in what she made (and made a BIG mess while doing it, but she got it done!) She especially loved making desserts.

Watch Andrea's coworkers share about the legacy she left.



Andrea enjoyed being out and talking with the residents. She often said that the residents are why she comes to work and because of the special bonds she made with the kitchen staff. The Dietary Department has many staff members with much longevity, and over the years, they have become like family. Our Dietary Manager has known and worked with Andrea the longest, for 32 years, and considered her family. They not only worked together but did things outside of work, including going to weddings, baby showers, picnics, and more.



Andrea was a kind soul, and if you needed help, she would help you out in any way she could. She will be greatly missed at work. The kitchen staff already miss her sarcastic comebacks, her laugh, and her nosiness to make sure she was kept in the loop with what everyone had going on in their lives. They'll miss all the different colored sharpies all over the kitchen and her utilizing every available cart at one time so you'd have to ask if you could use one.

She loved doing crosswords, trivia, and reading. Sometimes, she would clock out for the day and just come back to sit in the Dietary Office and read or do her crosswords. She just loved her job and her coworkers that much. We often say that if you love your job, you never work a day in your life. We wholeheartedly believe that's how Andrea felt.

We are privileged to have known and worked alongside Andrea. Her impact at Avon Place was profound and is still carried with all of us today.