Letter: Angels among us

by Geri Ziegler

Do you believe in angels? I do. In fact, I see one regularly. He goes by the name Warren Staples, a volunteer at St. Charles Health Campus in Jasper.

Warren grew up in Montana as one of six siblings. His sister, who lives in Utah, is his only remaining sibling.

In 1976, he moved to Henderson, Kentucky and worked as a crane operator. He has been a proud, card-carrying union member for 46 years, specifically with Union 181 operating engineers in Henderson, Kentucky. As an operator, he worked all over Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois and North Dakota, helping build bridges and power plants, among other projects.

In 2015, Warren and Pam, his life partner, moved from Henderson to Jasper to be near her granddaughter. Unfortunately, her deteriorating health made it necessary for her to move to the nursing home shortly after the move. During his visits with Pam, he saw a need and signed up as a volunteer. Since then, he usually arrives around 8:15 or 8:30 a.m. and leaves around 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. seven days a week, every week, 365 days a year, without fail, unless he is sick or has an appointment.

I asked several residents about Warren, including George Richardson and Dave and Cathy Fleck, as well as a table full of fun gentlemen: Jim Uebelhor, Alf Brosmer, Steve Milligan, Robert “Chesty” Luegers and Freddy Hopf. Their faces lit up as they repeatedly and enthusiastically emphasized what he meant to them.

“Warren is a great guy.”

“He is here all day, every day and works for nothing.”

“He is so friendly to everyone.”

“We couldn’t do without him.”

“He is like family.”

“If you need anything, all you have to do is ask him.”

“He is a wonderful guy.”

“He does more than what two or three men can do.”

“He will do anything he can to help anyone in here, even at his own expense.”

“It wouldn’t be the same without him.”

“He holds it all together.”

“You tell him something, and he will do it.”

“He is a huge help.”

The hard-working and caring staff treasure Warren as well. So much so that they even threw him a birthday bash a while back.

Staff members Lisa Blair and Dianelys Vazquez echoed what the residents said about Warren, adding,

“He is always there to help.”

“He has a positive attitude.”

“We couldn’t do it without him. He is amazing.”

“He is our eyes and ears.”

“He finds out the needs and relays them to the staff.”

And my personal favorite. “He is everywhere.”

Warren can be seen tirelessly transporting residents to meals, activities, therapy appointments, to the tv area or back to their rooms. He brings them drinks and meals and helps in the cafeteria. He delivers mail and packages and helps bring in freight. He provides hours of companionship.

Instead of playing guitar in bars as he once did, both as a solo act and as a member of a duo for several years with a professionally trained female opera singer who turned to country music, he now occasionally picks guitar with the residents.

He also runs errands and brings them personal items and goodies.

He once bought out the entire selection of gluten-free bakery items to share with everyone.
He has built trust with the residents and considers them family; they know they can confide in him.

I asked Warren why he continues to devote his life to volunteering there.

“These are my people, and I am one of them,” he responded. “If I think I have problems, I come here and realize I don’t have it so bad.”

A perfect day for Warren is getting up in the morning and coming to St. Charles Health Campus to help people.

Apparently, Warren is living his perfect day every single day. So now you have met an angel too.

Thank you from all of us, Warren Staples!