She’s one of those people — so chipper at work no one would guess she has problems of her own.
No matter what, Edie Evans has been behind a checkout counter at the Safeway store on Everett’s Broadway. Always diligent, smiling and curious about customers’ lives, Evans has been a grocery checker there since 1976.
She’s been there since before checkers used scanners, when each item was punched in by hand. It couldn’t have been easy, working and raising six children, including a daughter with special needs. Evans did it, along with her husband, George.
At 62, Evans will work her last shift Saturday. It’s not by choice that she is retiring. Evans has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
An incurable disease of the nervous system, it causes slurred speech and muscle weakness. In later stages, it brings impaired use of the arms and legs, and difficulty breathing and swallowing. It’s a cruel burden the normally chatty checker could no longer hide from customers or co-workers.
Several months ago, Scuttle Bannan was shopping at Safeway as she often does. Worried about changes she saw in Evans, whose speech was labored and movement slowed, “I went to the manager and asked, ‘Is Edie OK?’ I thought she’d had a stroke.”
The Everett woman wasn’t alone in her concern. A friendly face to customers, Evans was like family to her co-workers. Together, those workers and customers rallied to give Evans a festive goodbye and a financial boost as her health care costs rise.
Sunday, Evans was guest of honor at a farewell party at Scuttlebutt Brewing Co. The restaurant and brew pub on Everett’s waterfront is owned by Scuttle Bannan and her husband, Phil, who donated their space, beverages and help for the potluck celebration.
Evans was astonished when co-workers presented her with a check for more than $8,000. The effort was launched by Cindy Montopoli and Mary Nearing, both checkers at the store. In secret, on Evans’ days off and with customers helping, they raised money at weekend bake sales and with a used book sale.
“It was so fantastic. I can’t believe my good customers and the people I work with,” Evans said Tuesday morning.
Over coffee with her friend Montopoli, Evans said she’d been baffled and upset when she wasn’t working a few weekends back. “I thought, why aren’t they scheduling me?” she said.
Susie Borovina, a longtime store customer, said when she learned Evans was ill she approached the other checkers and offered to help.
“I worked at the bake sale one weekend. It was amazing,” Borovina said. “People just poured out their wallets. A lot of people knew there was something wrong, they were in absolute horror that Edie was sick.”
At the party, Borovina said, “I was looking at Edie and thinking ‘there’s a lot you can tell by the way people shop.’”
“She knows who’s a good cook and who isn’t. It’s kind of a personal relationship you have with your checker. She’s checked me out since my son was a baby and I was buying baby food. Now I’m buying him power bars,” Borovina said.
“She’s kind of been my angel,” said Candy Lewis, another regular customer. “She’s the most wonderful lady in the world, one of those people always asking you how the kids are.”
“A lot of Safeway employees were there Sunday, but also a lot of customers,” said Maggie Doud of Marysville, the Bannans’ daughter. Doud helped at the party. Growing up in Everett, she said her brother was also a classmate at Immaculate Conception School with one of Evans’ children.
“Edie is lucky to have a lot of great friends, and they would say they’re lucky to have Edie as a friend,” Doud said.
“What’s neat about Edie, not only does she know the customer standing in front of her, she knows two or three generations of that same family,” said Roberta Holman, manager of the Broadway Safeway. “She personalizes her job, with every customer.”
The manager said it’s been sad lately to hear Evans’ voice over the store intercom. “You know the disease is right there. It’s not the Edie we know,” Holman said. “And she doesn’t want to stop coming to work.”
For the better part of a year, Evans didn’t know what was wrong. Tests at the University of Washington Medical Center confirmed Lou Gehrig’s disease was robbing her strength and speech.
“She was going to think about retirement this year. Retirement is now forced upon her,” Holman said.
Evans plans to travel to a family reunion and go hiking with Montopoli while she still can. She’s taking on these tough days the way she approached her job, day after day. “I like people. I like to visit,” said Evans, talking slowly and deliberately.
Sitting next to her friend Tuesday, fighting back tears, Montopoli spoke for many: “I love you, Edie.”
Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
How to help
An account has been established to help pay medical expenses for Edie Evans, an Everett Safeway employee stricken by Lou Gehrig’s disease. Donations may be made at Wells Fargo Bank branches. The account is under the name: Cindy Montopoli for Edith Evans.
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