Happy Elizabeth Fernando Day II

Okay, this is another of those Point of Personal Privilege things.

I’ve written in the past of Elizabeth Fernando the wonderful woman was the caregiver for my folks later in their lives.  Most recently, that was here when she finally received her U.S. citizenship in 2016. 

I always have called Elizabeth an angel on earth, and that comes pretty close.  I won’t go into all the reasons, since I did that pretty extensively before.  But she was one of the most honest, honorable, decent, hardworking, loyal, responsible supportive, utterly lovely people it’s been my great fortune to ever know.  I’d periodically mention to her husband Emmanuel (a pretty terrific guy himself…) that “You do know, I’m sure, that you’re the luckiest man on earth?”  And that’s all I would have to say, and he knew what I was referring to.  And always answer, “Yes, I know.”

It's not just that having Elizabeth there with my folks meant I never had to worry for a second about it, it’s that she’s just made my own life better, being who she is.  That’s why we’ve all stayed in touch even after my dad passed away six years ago.  Still, though, I’ll give first position by far to my mother because she (who didn’t have any daughters) and Elizabeth (who lost her mother earlier in life) had a relationship that – they both said – had overtones of moather-daughter.

I should not that this isn’t just my opinion about how great Elizabeth is.  Before coming to the United States, she left her home in Sri Lanka and got a job working for the Danish Ambassador to Italy – sort of as a homekeeper and cook for the family at the Embassy.  (It’s still a toss-up if she makes better Sri Lankan cuisine or Italian food…)  And when he was recalled from Italy to work back home in Denmark, the Ambassador asked Elizabeth to move back there with them.  But that wasn’t what she wanted to do, and she (and Emmanuel) moved to the United States.  The Ambassador was disappointed, but it’s our gain.  So, the point is, if Elizabeth was good enough for the Danish Ambassador, then my adoration of her is on solid ground.

I mention all that because, in addition to working so wonderfully and joyously as a caregiver to my folks, that was only a part-time job.  Her regular job was working at the Jewel Food Stores, a major chain in Chicago, for 27 years, where she anchored the deli counter.  She’d get up bizarrely early in the morning, like 4 AM, though often earlier if it was a day she opened the supermarket.  (That’s how much Jewel Food Stores trusted her.)  It helped, too, that she often received the Employee of the Month Award – enough times that I thought they should have renamed it in her honor.  When Jewel decided to move Elizabeth from the store she had been working at for years in the Plaza del Lago to another several miles away in Wilmette…many of her customers actually gave up the Plaza store and followed her.

The point of all this is that Elizabeth finally decided to retire from the Jewel after 27 years, and her last day was on Sunday.  The store threw a pretty big party for her, though that was only after they’d tried to keep her and not retire.   And so, she deserves this note of honor.

(Elizabeth and just some of her customers who 

followed her from one Jewel store to another,

claiming to be her grandkids, no doubt to get better service.)

Rather than write more myself here (again, as I said before, you can always read the article I link to above to get more stories), I’m going to turn the floor over to Elizabeth and Emmanuel’s children:  Emel, Virginia and Sneaky.  (Sorry, I mean Roshani.)  They wrote a piece for the family party, and with Emmanuel’s permission, I offer it here.

We have waited a very long time for this day to come.  To see a day where you are able to relax and have some time for yourself.  To see a day where you don’t have to worry about sleeping early because you have to wake up at 4 am.  You have showed us the true meaning of sacrifice. Leaving Sri Lanka and Italy took more courage than most people have.  You stepped into a new country and without knowing much English. you and thatthi always provided us with what we needed and pushed us in school.  You worked harder than anyone we know.  It was not only Jewel, but also a second job to make sure you saved enough us.  We may not have always had all the brand-name clothes and shoes but you always provided us with what we needed. And most importantly, we were raised in a happy home that was centered on God.  You often stayed late and did overtime too. Every day, no matter how tired you were, you still woke up extra early to make dinner before leaving to work and pack our lunches. At Jewel you always did the best that you could and had so many employee of the month awards because you had such a great connection and relationship with your customers. Your hands and wrists started hurting because of the repetitive motions and hard work, but you kept working through the pain in fear you would be out of a job and worried about not being able to provide for us. You waited so long before you finally took care of the pain. You waited until we were all settled and married before you put yourself first. Jewel may not know about all the sacrifices you’ve had to make and all the pain you’ve endured for them, but we do. We saw all the hard work you have put into Jewel for over 27 years, and Jewel will never be able to replace someone like you. Now it’s your time. Time for you to finally relax, travel, and spend more time with your grandkids and enjoy the rest of your life to its fullest. I know you always tell others how proud you are of your kids but today we are so proud of you.  We are proud to have a mother that is so hard working and has sacrificed so much for us. Congratulations on retiring, Ammi.  We all love you and are so happy for you. ​