They scrub and vacuum our floors, clean our desks and windows and toilets. But we don’t really see them, even when we watch them working.
These are the invisible heros.
I recently learned that 87-year-old Shirley Vorwald was still washing dishes and cleaning at a nearby elementary school, as she had also done the past 48 years.
When I asked about Shirley from those who knew her well, all agreed she was a tireless worker and charitable giver. But they warned she would never let me do a story on her because “she is an introvert and is not likely to talk with you.”
They were wrong, at least about talking to me.
Shirley was cordial and talkative, and even invited me into her small home, showing me every detail—living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, even the smaller-than-standard oven in which she bakes hundreds of pies each year. Besides holding down at least two jobs most of her life, she loves to bake pies for people. In fact, some only know her as the pie lady.
Never married, she says with no bitterness, “My dad didn’t believe in marriage. He didn’t want to lose his help on the farm.”
Shirley is the last of nine children. Her brother, Jerry, died recently at age 92. The day before Christmas, she baked him a birthday cake he never got to eat.
“He was in bed. He could see it but he couldn’t eat it,” she shares.
She is content. Working has been and is her life since growing up on a farm. At a time in life when most count the days to retirement, Shirley just wants to keep working.
Reader Challenge
Find an unseen hero in your community and shine a light on them. Explain to them that you see and appreciate them for what they do. You might have to persuade them since these invisible people can be shy. Honest, caring persistence can crumble those walls of distrust. Ask if you can interview them and do a portrait or even a short story about them. It is often easier to get shy people to talk than agree to be photographed, so talk first before asking about pictures.
Email your best image (just one, please) with caption information, including an explanation of how it affects you, to GPH@pur.coop. We may share submissions on our website and social media channels.