HOUGHTON - Easter is a day for gathering with friends and family, and thanks to one organization, area senior citizens and volunteers were given the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with each other.
Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly served Easter dinners at eight sites across Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties Sunday afternoon. At St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Houghton, 63 meals were served by 15 volunteers. Sitting down family-style around circular tables, volunteers and senior citizens chatted with one another while listening to the music of local band Rhythm 203.
The menu included classic Easter fare such as ham, potatoes, dinner rolls and coleslaw.
"Everything that is left over is made up in packages and they'll take them home," volunteer kitchen leader Mary Erva said. "There's usually enough for two or more meals."
Between songs, volunteer Agnes Ahola kept the seniors entertained. One break found her looking for the oldest person present. She gradually worked her way up in ages asking for a show of hands until she found her winner - 92-year-old Ellen Lynch from Arbor Green. For her longevity, Lynch won a beautiful Easter egg diorama.
"This is the first time I've been the oldest," she said, noting she has been coming to the holiday meals for years and always enjoys them.
"I just have so much admiration for Little Brothers and all the volunteers," she said. "At our age, what do we do? This is a nice gathering."
One of those volunteers was Jim Richardson, who comes from Covington to help with each Little Brothers holiday meal. This time he brought his son and daughter-in-law.
"It feels good to give something to somebody else," Richardson said. We've been coming to St. Ignatius now for 10 plus years."
Richardson said his wife started the trend.
"Some years ago, my wife, who is deceased now, Shirley Walat-Richardson, introduced us to Little Brothers," he said. "After she died, we kept the tradition going."
For senior citizen John Hermanson of Houghton, attending the meals is a tradition he keeps as well. He said he has come to the meals for as many years as they've been serving them, except for the holidays when he was overseas bringing aid to elderly people and street children in Russia, Finland and Estonia with an organization known as Mission Possible. He said Little Brothers does a tremendous job year-round for elderly citizens, from bringing them to doctors' appointments to visiting them on their birthdays.
"They try to keep a list," he said. "If nobody remembers them, Little Brothers will remember them."
Layla Aslani can be reached at laslani@mininggazette.com.
