With her cheery personality and wonderful phrases, Senior Village Going My Way team volunteer Mary Richling is a real joy to interview. While born in Minnesota, she spent most of her life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduating from St. Mary’s School of Nursing which was then affiliated with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Always entranced by the 1000 bed hilltop Milwaukee County General Hospital, she was delighted to find her first job on the men’s floor of that facility. “With no controlled admissions, there was usually only one RN, an LPN and maybe two aides taking care of the men,” Mary says. “It was a thrill because it was very fast paced, exciting and I learned a lot.”
From that beginning she went on to work at many places including Froedtert Hospital where she worked in critical care at their six ICU units. The hospital was affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin which was part of the huge Milwaukee County Medical Complex.
Mary’s husband, John, had a degree in recreation and they traveled all over investigating the then new concept of senior communities offering amenities to this specialized population. They also visited and took classes with Elderhostel programs around the country and were attending one near the University of Arizona when they played hooky one day and ended up checking out SaddleBrooke. Eventually, they bought a house and moved here 26 years ago. John, who became a devoted potter after moving to SaddleBrooke, died five years ago after 53 years of marriage.
After moving here when I realized that the closest hospital was 45 minutes away, I decided to take some time off from nursing,” she says.
Mary joined the hiking club and eventually became the first female president. She’s done maintenance of the Arizona Trail and has also been active for years with the National Havanese Rescue Group.
“I eventually decided to return to nursing before I forgot everything and became a hazard to humanity,” Mary says with her characteristic good humor.
She worked in cardiology at Northwest Hospital and then at Oro Valley Hospital for two years, finally deciding to retire when staffing issues became critical.
In 2016, her next-door neighbor and good friend, Dick Fleming, the co-founder of Senior Village, died. “I wanted to find a way to honor him and becoming a volunteer was a natural choice,” Mary says. She joined the Going My Way team.
“It reminded me of hiking,” Mary says, “because you meet folks and learn their stories. There are so many fascinating people from here who have lived and worked all over the world.”
Her medical background has also proven useful. “I can fight with most walkers and wheelchairs,” she says. “And my motto is ‘no one goes to ground on my watch.’ ” She adds that she can get a sense if someone is unstable and will walk them to their door.
Not long ago, Mary drove a couple for a Senior Village Birthday party. “It was such a thrill to see a number of seniors in their 80’s and 90’s that look great and are thriving in their later years,” Mary smiles as she tells the story. “It’s a real testament to Senior Village and SaddleBrooke for all of the support we give each other.”
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