In Memory ofNancy


KIRKLAND


Nancy Kirkland. What can I say? She was the BEST! She was very supportive when I first became a store manager in 2006. The first store she put me in was a challenge, and she knew it would be. Nancy would call me every hour on the hour to see how things were going.


When the going got tough, she was always there to inspire me. She would come in and ring register and make coffee for us. Nancy would help you in any way she could. She would always tell me “Rhonda, you can’t build Rome in a day.” I would just laugh and say that we could do it. She was always open to suggestions that would benefit the store. I have nothing but RESPECT for Nancy. Not only for what she did, but also for who she was. I am a better person because of the influence Nancy had on me. I will miss her greatly. — Rhonda A. Gindlesperger, Store #59, Latrobe, PA


My first non-work event with Nancy was a class she held to teach a few district managers how to make a pie. Nancy’s pies were the best! Her crusts were golden brown and so flaky, holding the famous fillings she made from scratch. First, Nancy instructed us to peel the apples, core them and put them in the lemon juice to soak. We wanted to cut them, but Nancy


was insistent that we had to keep the apples from turning brown. (When asked what color the apples were after the pies were baked, she would not answer us with the word brown!) Finally, she let us cut them into slices. Yes, they had to be slices. Then more soaking in lemon water so they wouldn’t be brown! Learning the secret to her crusts was the real reason we were all there. We followed her recipe, and what a mess! Sticky dough on


our hands, with flour everywhere. Nancy said, “Mix it into a big ball.” This was impossible! Half the dough was between our fingers and the other half was just flour in the bowl. Most pies are round, so next we were guided with Nancy’s coaching how to roll it to be round, not square.


At this point, it was easier to distract Nancy and cut our flat discs into a round shape. By now, the apples are brown, but nobody would admit it. It was late and these pies needed to get in the oven! Into the oven they go, and we started to clean up the kitchen. Washing dishes, countertops, walls, the floor, you name it; we had


a mess! Eventually someone smells smoke. Oops, we forgot about the pies in the oven! Nancy jumps up, opens the oven door and says, “Oh, Oh, Oh, we need a fire extinguisher.” Nancy smothers the fire with a towel and the smoke alarms start going off in the house. A night we will always cherish! She taught us to take pride in our baking, to see beyond the challenges and be strong yet flexible in our endeavors. — Director of Regional Operations, Peggy Faulk


For 15 of my 20 years as store manager, Nancy was my DM. I have many memories of Nancy, but my favorite and proudest is when I opened my new store in New Alexandria. The open date was moved up a couple weeks and we only had 23 employees. It was Labor Day weekend plus the Steelers were playing in Pittsburgh on this Thursday night. We were at the store all day getting ready for the soft opening (yea right). There was nothing soft about it. We unlocked the doors and the next thing I knew it was Monday morning, four days later! Nancy and I ran the register all night long while everyone else was in the M•T•O® area. I would look over, and she would be ringing up


customers as fast as I was. We both went home around midnight on Thursday. The next day it started all over again. Nancy showed up at the store in the morning and ran the register right beside me all that evening.


She went home and later called the store. It was so busy I was still there. The next thing I know Nancy was coming in through the front door! She and I rang the register together all night! This repeated for four nights in a row. Nancy never complained once. She and her husband Ron even went to the toll booth in New Stanton to get us change. That is how Nancy was, always right there for me. I could hear her saying it will be all right, we will get through this, and we always did! Her words of encouragement got me through some of my hardest days, and will continue to help me now that she’s gone. She was one of a kind. — Janice Brasili, Store #314, New Alexandria, PA


It seems like just yesterday, I’m driving with Nancy in the passenger seat, heading to Altoona with Dayna Sowers following behind. Nancy had us all in tears, laughing at me because I was driving so slowly. It had started to snow and the roads were covered. She called Dayna to tell her that turtles were passing us. Several such phone calls later, the three of us were laughing so hard tears were rolling down our faces. Nancy was good for making us laugh. Like when she got into the elevator at a meeting and closed her eyes and was feeling the Braille, or when she rode the surfboard at Seven Springs! There was something else that Nancy was great at: nurturing! To many of us, she was just like a mother. She always had positive and


encouraging remarks for all of us. She always wanted us to do our best and she was always there when you needed her. The one thing Nancy would say to us all the time and that I think of often is “You’ll be just fine.” And she’s right, because we had her as a teacher. — District Manager, Darla Mendicino


In August 1984, Ray Ryan hired me. The next day we were going to Seven Springs. I only knew four people and Ray told me this would be a great way to learn about our culture. After the awards, I walked past the fireplace where a crowd was gathering around two ladies at a table. Joyce Twombly and Nancy Kirkland were telling stories. Obviously they had more than a few drinks and they could spin a story to entertain everyone. They were laughing about how they train all these people to win awards and they never win themselves. People were literally crying from laughing so hard. Years passed and I became a DM. I got a trainee and lo and behold, it was Nancy. If we were at an overnight event, I noticed how


people gravitated to her as she smoked a cigar and told the craziest stories. Sometimes it was like being with Lucille Ball. My side and face would hurt from laughing. Nancy was a wonderful person, a fantastic baker and a great grandmother. It was rewarding when my district won “District of the Year,” but there was nothing more rewarding to me as when Nancy’s district won “District of the Year.” Finally the lady who trained so many top performers had risen to the pinnacle of awards. My journey with Nancy had come full circle. Nancy will always have a place in my heart. — District Manager, Gina Hazelet


10 Family Matters APRIL


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