The community continues to mourn the death of a woman who was a fixture in the life of Moose Jaw.
Eunice Rivers passed away Nov. 21 and since then everyone who knew her personally or by reputation has been sharing their stories about their interaction with this lady who was most well-known for her 47 years as commander and chief of the Kresge’s lunch counter.
It was a treat to visit the lunch counter on trips to the city from our rural community. The day was made perfect with a thick and creamy chocolate milk shake made in a metal container on an elderly shake machine. Eunice would stand there and wait for the first slurp to disappear followed by a smile of appreciation on the face of her young customer.
When I moved to Moose Jaw as a teenager, I frequented that lunch counter on a regular basis and was served a toasted chicken salad sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk, or maybe a side of French fries. For several months it didn’t matter if I might have wanted to order an egg salad sandwich instead — chicken salad it would be, thank you very much.
One day, the other lady who worked at the lunch counter told me quietly that if you don’t want chicken salad, just tell her. It took a fair bit of courage on my part, but I finally grew a backbone and advised Eunice one day that I really wanted a hot beef sandwich. “Well why didn’t you say so?” she asked. “Next time, speak up.”
And I did, and we became fast friends.
I remember day the she took delivery of a fancy mashed potato machine, with its one cup portion control. She was so proud of that machine and insisted I have a cup of mashed potatoes with my sandwich. With her standing there waiting for my opinion, I didn’t dare tell her I wasn’t keen on the consistency of the phoney potatoes so nodded in appreciation. She beamed with pride.
As one sat there and listened and observed, it was readily apparent that Eunice was respected by the store managers. She would summon the manager of the day with a motion of her hand, a summons that was never ignored. She was respectful, always calling the manager by Mr. whatever his name was, she made her point or request and he/they nodded and scurried off to do her bidding. They knew on which side their bread was buttered.
Eunice had an ability to remember names and matched them to faces she hadn’t seen for awhile. She remembered my brother from his post office days in Moose Jaw and spoke highly of him for his work with the Legion. She was front and centre at his 75th birthday party where she grinned in delight when my nephew talked to her about the milkshakes he enjoyed at her lunch counter.
Over the years we delighted in watching Eunice and her husband Stan on the dance floor, putting the rest of us to shame with their footwork and obvious enjoyment of all kinds of music. I mentioned that to her this summer and she thanked me for the compliment, noting she missed those days when she could get out on the dance floor.
And we all learned quickly not to ever sit in her chair at the weekly auction sales at the Sportsman’s Centre, nor was it a good idea to bid against her on an item she had scoped out prior to the sale.
She was a valued volunteer at the Cosmo Centre where she managed the trade shows like a kindly drill sergeant. When one fellow had a suggestion on how the tables could be arranged and mentioned it to the president, the response was: “you can tell Eunice that. I’m not going to.”
We were honoured to have her attend our recent 50th anniversary celebration and just a short time later we heard she was in hospital. We all signed a get well card for her at the trade show that she had organized before being admitted to hospital.
Her friends will continue to share stories about Eunice, always knowing that she was a true friend to all of us, and that she appreciated it when we might dare to offer a differing opinion.
The next time I order a chicken salad sandwich, I will eat it in her honour. Rest in peace, Eunice.
Joyce Walter can be reached at [email protected]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
