After being in business for more than 25 years, we've certainly made a lot of friends, and we like to think that we've touched a lot of lives. But part of the joy of this business, for all its challenges, is that we get a lot of love in return -- and no small part of that love has, over the years, has come from the people who work for us. Recently, one of those people left us forever. Calvina Coolidge Serwon passed away on November 18 in Meridian at the age of 85.
"Callie" worked for The Brick Oven Bistro as our "greeter" from 1995 to 2002. She was the first face that our customers saw when they walked through the door -- and it was a face that always had a smile on it. Her trademark outfit was her blue shirt and hat -- but the most memorable thing about Callie was her sheer love of life. While she was old enough to have been the grandmother of most if not all of our staff, her attitude was a quiet example of the work ethic that characterized "the Greatest Generation". I think the source of her energy and joy was best expressed by one of her favorite sayings: "Life is difficult enough...we might as well be good to each other."
Callie, you were more than good to us, and your life was a reminder that our real task in this world, as you always said, is to be good to each other. Our jobs are just one context in which we have the opportunity to fulfill that mission, and we thank you for the example you set for us on how do go about doing that.
If you'd like to learn more about Callie's life, you can click here to go to her obituary in the Idaho Statesman.