Eileen Atwood

Chances are if you are a regular visitor to Albertson’s in Wolf Point
you have seen Eileen Atwood. You might not notice her right away. She
usually works in the meat department as a wrapper, but anyone there
will tell you who she is.
“She always has a smile on her face,” said James Nygard of the bakery
personnel, “she never seemed like she had a bad day.”
Nygard has worked at the store for 18 years which is 15 less than Eileen.
She started working there in 1977, back when it was named Buttrey Food
& Drug. Eileen is just one of the many who work to serve Wolf Point, a
community of over 2,500 people, on a daily basis as the city’s only
grocery store.
But after 33 years she has decided to retire from her job at
Albertson’s. Her last official day was Friday June 26.
Eileen decided to come to Wolf Point from North Dakota when her
husband accepted a job in town. To her, time has passed quickly and
leaving Albertson’s is something she is excited and saddened by. She
is thankful to the people she has worked with and will miss them
dearly.
“We all just get along together,” she said Friday afternoon in the
break room of Albertson’s. Nearby sat a long table full of food to
celebrate her 33 year career. On the purple plastic table cloth in
front of her sat a tiara, a gift from the other employees. She would
also learn later about her new barbecue they purchased for her.
On Eileen’s first day, she admittedly didn’t like her job at the
grocery store. When she started she felt overwhelmed with the type of
work and the amount. Eileen said new challenges can sometimes be
difficult to deal with. That did not stop her however.
In her life after Albertson’s she will spend her time doing yard work
and visiting with her three children, eight grand kids and four step
children. She will be taking life slow and making decisions one at a
time. She will however be missed at Albertson’s.
Chris Evans, the meat manager at the store has worked at Albertson’s
for seven years. Long before that Evans and Eileen had a chance to
work together as well. He said replacing her will not be easy.
“It is gonna be a lot different, she’s a workaholic,” he said. “It’s
gonna take two people to replace her.”
Gene Pronto the store director at Albertson’s has worked at the
grocery store for 12 years. The thought of working without Eileen is
not an easy one for him to comprehend, on his way back to the break
room he said “she’s going to be greatly missed.”