MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman is celebrating major milestones at work and within her family.
After more than four decades on the job, Gloria Armstrong says she still arrives at work an hour before her cooking shift starts to prepare for the day ahead.
“I’m not a job hopper, I’ve got to stay here,” Gloria said. “I’m not really ready to go either now.”
As Milwaukee Catholic Home’s longest-running employee with 44 years of service, Gloria says the recipe to reach such a milestone calls for one main ingredient: passion. Both for the meals she makes and for the 18 residents who enjoy them.
“I like to cook in order to make my residents feel good,” she said. “I like to represent my stuff nice to them to what I cook and they’ll know it’s coming from Gloria.”
Gloria doesn’t just feed people’s bodies, she feeds their souls. Over the years, she’s formed special bonds with residents of the retirement community like Svetlana Brubaker.
“She’s the constant here,” Svetlana said. “It has nothing to do with cooking. I think Gloria keeps peace. It’s very peaceful here.”
While Gloria says working into her mid-70s has given her life added purpose, her resume at home is arguably even more impressive. She’s considered the matriarch of five generations of a growing family.
Gloria’s three children brought her 14 grandchildren.
“And they brought me a lot,” Gloria said.
33 great-grandchildren came next followed by three great-great-grandchildren.
“Did you ever imagine you’d have a family this big?” TMJ4’s Ben Jordan asked.
“Never in a million years. I never would have thought my family would be this big,” Gloria said. “It’s a blessing and I say that every day.”
Gloria says the greatest blessing is all 50 of her grandkids live in Milwaukee and her home is their gathering place.
“How do you keep all of their names straight when there’s so many of them?” Jordan asked.
“I don’t,” Gloria said with a laugh. “I look at them and know who they belong to.”
Tanisha Triplett considers her grandmother the glue that holds their family together.
”When everybody’s going through a bad day, we can call her,” she said. “Or we’re going through hard times, we can call her. She’s there to pick up the pieces.”
A woman whose constant love and devotion, whether in the dining hall at work or during her backyard barbecues at home, has touched countless lives.
