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| Paola loses public servant |
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| News | |||
| Written by Brian McCauley | |||
| Wednesday, 07 January 2009 08:00 | |||
 There will be something missing in Paola as the city launches itself into 2009, and the rest of its future.Brenda Wrischnik is going miss her Friday get-togethers with her “girlfriend.” Mike Brown is going to miss his Sunday church companion. Artie Stuteville is going to miss her chocolate-giving taxi patron. Bettie Ore is going to miss her fellow food expert. Geneva Bruch is going to miss the boss who gave her a career opportunity. And Robin Case is going to miss the independent, caring mother, who always made sure her daughter knew she was loved, regardless of what else may have been going on. Eleanor Watson loved Paola, and the city loved her back. Watson, a longtime Paola resident who operated a successful dietetics business and volunteered for a number of community organizations, died Dec. 22 at her Paola home at the age of 86. Case said her mother was raised in a small town in South Dakota and began her more-than-60-year-long career as a dietician when she was a young woman. “She was a career woman her whole life, Chief of Dietetics for the Veteran’s Administration for many years before becoming a full time consulting dietician in the Midwest, yet with an all consuming career, she still found time to be a loving mother and grandmother to myself, and my daughter Corina,” Case said. Watson’s career started in Toledo, Ohio, where she also met her husband, Bill Watson, Case said. The family then moved to the South, where their only child, Robin, was born. Watson ran Institutional Dietetics on the north side of Paola’s Park Square for many years, and her husband also ran a jewelry business out of the storefront called the Jewel Box. Ore said the Watson family used to have a black cat named Magic who would sit in the window of their storefront. The cat suited Bill, who also worked as a magician. “People would walk by the window and talk to Magic,” Ore said with a smile. Case said the cat was special, because it would actually respond to people. Watson contributed much more than diet advice, though, as she also was an active member of the Paola Community Center Board, Paola Heartland USA and the Paola Chapter of the American Red Cross, among other things. As a member of the Paola Community Center Board, Watson spearheaded the fight to restore the historic building, something she enjoyed watching take place this year. “She was very excited about the renovations,” Case said. “She would say, ‘look, they’re adding an elevator.’” Paola Mayor Artie Stuteville, who also drives a taxi in town, said she has fond memories of Watson from all the city meetings she attended, as well as giving her rides to places throughout town. “She loved chocolate,” Stuteville said with her eyes watering. “She would always bring me a piece of chocolate when I gave her a ride and say ‘Everybody needs a little chocolate every day.’” Watson’s sweet tooth was the inspiration for a gift Stuteville purchased for her friend that she never had the opportunity to give. “It was a mug that said, ‘Chocolate makes my clothes shrink,’” Stuteville said with a smile. She still has a piece of chocolate Watson recently gave her in her taxi cab. Brown, who got to know Watson through her work with the Community Center, became even closer to Watson when he began taking her to Paola Christian Church each Sunday. On the Sunday before Watson passed away, Ore said she warned her friend that it would be too cold the next day to go to church. Watson’s response was to simply say, “If they come for me, I’ll be ready.” It was a response that Ore now believes has dual meaning. It also is a sample of Watson’s strong will, which community members said garnered respect from the community. “She really wanted to be a contributor,” Case said. “I always marveled at her stamina.” Ore said she’ll never forget when Watson traveled to the federal prison in Leavenworth to teach dietetics to prisoners. “Here’s this little old lady surrounded by prisoners,” Ore said with a chuckle. “It didn’t phase her a bit.” Case said the prisoners always respected her mother, saying things like “Yes, Mrs. Watson” and “No, Mrs. Watson” and “Look what I learned this week, Mrs. Watson.” Wrischnik said Watson was always very proper, but there was also a tender part of her heart that Wrischnik discovered during recent visits each Friday. “I’d take a couple beers and snacks over there, and we’d relive the week,” Wrischnik said. “Those are my fondest memories of her. She was my hero.” Even after retiring at the age of 84, Watson continued her passion for food education. Wrischnik said Watson would share recipes from magazines that she had rewritten with her own dietary guidelines. But her strongest passion was for Paola, where she could be seen at almost every community event, including most recently as a judge in the 2008 chili cook off on the Park Square. “She was a small-town girl at heart,” Case said. “She loved Paola.” Case spent Monday, what would have been her mother’s birthday, making arrangements for a memorial service. The service is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. Jan. 12 at Paola Christian Church.
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Comments (2)
a guest: ...
So sorry to hear about losing Eleanor. I have never met a more sincere and dedicated citizen, and Paola will not be the same without her. In reading the article about her, it was obvious that she made a lasting, positive impression on all those she came in contact with - and fortunately for me, I was one of them.
My fond memories of Paola always will include Eleanor! Ross VanderHamm 1
January 09, 2009
a guest: ...
I am saddened by Ms Watson's death and regret that I just now receiving the news. As a newcomer to Kansas with my aviator husband and a six month old baby no one was more welcoming to the world of dietetics than Eleanor. She spearheaded my career in consulting in LTC in the early 1970's. She was never too busy to visit, lend a supporting ear, or redirect me to solutions to consider for a difficult situation.
I am sorry I have not returned one of her books on the URSULINES .. my educators in Texas from kinder to high school graduation. She would check now and then if it was still on my bookshelf.  May Perpetual Light shine upon her! Once again, this amzaing lady will prepare a place for us ... because I am certain I will see her again. Maria Boudreaux,RD,LD This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 2
January 30, 2009
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