It’s hard to imagine a more shocking change of pace than going from the farm country of southern Illinois to the diesel-fueled factories of Detroit. But that’s exactly what our featured resident, Lucille, did. Whether it was working on the farm or on the assembly line, Lucille’s passion for doing the job well has helped her succeed and thrive even now more than 100 years after she was born.

From the Prairie State to the Mitten

“I’m from Southern Illinois; Buckner, Illinois,” Lucille said when asked about where she spent her early childhood years. Closer to Nashville than it is to Chicago, Buckner’s vast fields and farmlands were where she called home all throughout her adolescent and teenage years. Most of her time was spent helping her family with the daily tasks of the farm, but the tiring work schedule didn’t stop her from having some fun when she could.

Soon after her 21^st birthday and just a short time before World War Two began, Lucille received an invitation from her older sister and her husband to come up to Detroit and get a job in the burgeoning Paris of the Midwest. Never one to shy from adventure, that’s exactly what she did – landing a job at Briggs Manufacturing Company in the City of Detroit.

“First, I worked in the sewing room doing different kinds of work, then I went into papering cars,” Lucille said. “That was a good job, and I was there until we shut down for war work.”

Lucille and countless other women in the workforce helped transform Detroit’s auto factories, like Briggs, into the true muscle of the Allied war effort – turning assembly lines into the Arsenal of Democracy. It was during this time that she took on a new role at work, a riveter, making her one of the true “Rosie the Riveters” of the war effort. “The work I did there is how I got the name Rosie the Riveter,” she said, referring to her work during the war.

From Rosie to Retirement

After the allied victory in Europe and Japan, things went back to normal in Detroit. Lucille stayed on at Briggs where she worked full-time all the way up until her retirement in the early 1970s. She then moved from her house on Cadieux Street on Detroit’s East Side and bought a condo in Harrison Township – where she lived until she moved into Oakmont Parkway this fall.

During her retirement, Lucille relished the chance to indulge in her favorite hobbies and pastimes. She traveled often, got in as much swimming as possible, and grew closer and closer to her nieces and nephews – often inviting them to join her for a picnic. Her free time has also allowed her to participate in one of her most meaningful hobbies of her life: crocheting blankets for those in need. Through a friend’s church, Lucille has helped make countless blankets that have been handed out at veteran’s homes, homeless shelters, and other places where people are in need.

Now living at Oakmont Parkway, life for Lucille is relaxed and fun. She enjoys the food  in the dining room and the great company of her neighbors. An avid card player, she looks forward to the weekly games that residents enjoy, and never takes a single moment for granted.

Visit a local Bocce Ball court and chances are good that you’ll see a crowd gathered around one of the star players named Geno – the subject of today’s resident spotlight. That’s because, along with being a resident at Oakmont Parkway, Geno is one of the best Bocce Ball players in Michigan – fronting his own team and taking home the gold in the Michigan Senior Olympics. But more than just Bocce Ball, Geno is a man of many stories, many laughs, and an all-around great neighbor for the residents and staff of Oakmont Parkway. In today’s Resident Spotlight, we learn more about what makes Geno such a popular fixture and friend.

A Wife from a Rival School

Eugene, or as he’s known to all of his friends, Geno, grew up on Detroit’s East Side. His father worked for Chrysler while his mom stayed home and helped raise her son (Geno) and his two sisters. Life was good for the young family, and the children quickly grew, with Geno enrolling in and graduating from St. Rita’s High School near Eight Mile and Woodward. It was during these formative years that Geno would meet the woman who would go on to be his best friend and life partner.

“I met my wife in High School; she went to our rival school, St. Benedict’s, in Highland Park,” he said, laughing. “Mother Superior said, ‘you can’t take her to our prom, you need to take a girl from our school.’ And I said, ‘Oh no,’ and took her to our prom anyway.”

His instincts turned out to be right on with this girl from the rival school, as she would go on to become his wife and the mother of his children. Truly high school sweethearts.

From School to Service

After graduating from High School, Geno went into the service, joining the United States Navy as a Radio Man in the early 50s. “The Navy showed me the world,” he said laughing – but it also showed him conflict. He served with eight different ships during the Korean War, helping to send and transcribe important messages and support his squad. However, the war wasn’t all bleak. Two years into his service, Geno and his long-time girlfriend officially became husband and wife, and his first son was born on Selfridge Military Base. “He was a freedom baby,” Geno said.

When his service came to an end after four years, Geno came home and got a job delivering milk for Twin Pines Farm Dairy, a former Detroit institution, before finally settling into a job with the City of St. Clair Shores where he stayed for the next 22 years. When asked what he did for the City, Geno didn’t mince words. “[I did] everything,” he said, joking. “Water department, sewer department, tree trimmer, DPW – you know, just everything you could do, I did!”

East Siders for Life

The young family of seven, now with four daughters added to the mix, thrived, and they enjoyed family trips together to visit grandparents in Northern Michigan as well as the Sunshine State of Florida. The kids grew up and though some moved away to places like Texas and Florida, Geno and the gang always considered the East Side their home – where he remains to this day.

Happily settled into his life at Oakmont Parkway, Geno doesn’t waste a minute. He’s a board member of the St. Clair Shores Senior Center, an ambassador for the Macomb County Senior Olympics, and an avid Bocce Ball player – currently playing on an Oakmont-sponsored team in St. Clair Shores – vying again for yet another gold medal next year to add to his vast collection of accomplishments.

When asked about how he likes living at Oakmont Parkway, Geno’s answer was short and sweet. “I like it good,” he said. “There’s a lot of other places out there, and we looked at them, but here, you get a little extra.”

For many Detroiters, the Motor City runs in their blood. Cars, music, hard work – the defining factors of our City become the defining factors of their character, creating one-of-a-kind personalities and exceptional people. Without question, Joe, who lives at Oakmont Parkway, is one of those folks.

Cars Run in the Family

A native Detroiter, Joe grew up in the city, eventually graduating from St. Joseph High School on Detroit’s east side. He got his first job at Sears and Roebuck on Van Dyke, and after a year of customer service, hard times hit and Joe was part of the more than 75% of the workforce that was laid off. Always a hard worker, this didn’t stop him from earning a living – and he was soon working at the Dodge Main plant helping to put cars on the road. He worked there for several years until his father, also a veteran of another major Detroit car company, convinced him to join the family business.

“[My Dad] worked at Ford, and then he went into his own business selling fish and chickens,” Joe said. “My dad said ‘I don’t want to you to spend your time working in a factory’, so I went into his business with him – and soon after met my wife at the Vanity Ballroom.”

Just three months later, Joe and the love of his life were engaged – but there was still one very important issue he had to contend with before they could tie the knot. “She said, ‘until you get a steady job, we’re not going to get married,“ Joe said, chuckling. “So she went to the newspaper and she got me a job selling cars at Margolis Plymouth on Joseph Campeau.” The rest, as they say, is history.

The Top Car Man in Michigan

Just six months into his tenure at Margolis, it was clear that Joe was one heck of a salesman. He won a trip to the New York World’s Fair in 1964, and was soon ranked as the coveted Top Car Salesman in Michigan – a title he would hold eight more times in his extremely successful career. To this day, Joe wears a ring that features one diamond for every year he held the title.

Joe’s famous 9-time Top Car Man in Michigan ring.

From Margolis, Joe moved to Jim Riehls Roseville Chrysler-Plymouth Roseville, where he did most of his selling – winning trips to San Francisco and Las Vegas, as well as countless awards and plaques in the industry. Through his job, he not only got the chance to make customers for life but also got to rub some pretty impressive shoulders, including Detroit Red Wings all-time great Gordie Howe – a special treat for a hockey fan like Joe.

Though selling cars was his profession, Joe also always loved music – a passion that he followed from his early days in school when he took up the trumpet. He counts Harry James (another trumpet player) as his favorite artist, but he also enjoys the tunes of many of James’ contemporaries like Glenn Miller.

“My older sister and I used to go see all of those bands,” he said. “Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey. Frank Sinatra – all of them. Many at the Fox Theater downtown.”

Familiar Faces

Though he stopped selling cars in the 90s, Joe remains as passionate as ever. He’s been at Oakmont Parkway for several years now, and is enjoying his retirement. “I’m very happy here,” Joe said. “They’re really wonderful people and they treat me good.”

And along with a bunch of new neighbors and friends, Joe also found one or two familiar faces at Parkway. “When I moved in, another resident came up to me and said ‘hey, didn’t you sell me a car?” Joe said. “It was a customer. A very happy customer of mine.”