Bob Lind column: Neighbors: Villiard keeps the rust off

Rome Villiard isn't about to rust out. He's too busy.

Rome, 77, is the guy at Emmanuel Nursing Home in Detroit Lakes, Minn., who is all over the place changing light bulbs, giving rides, charging batteries, mowing yards.

Well, maybe not mowing yards these days, but he will be, in a few weeks. Meanwhile, he's been shoveling snow.

And most of it has been as a volunteer.

"Oh, once in a while, when I give someone a ride, they'll give me a dollar or two," he says, "but I pretty much do it for nothing."

All of Minnesota knows of Rome's efforts by now because of the honors he's won.

First he was named the Becker County Outstanding Senior Citizen. Then, recently, he was named the Outstanding Senior Citizen of the state.

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A clipping from the Detroit Lakes Tribune about Rome was sent to Neighbors by Lorraine Breivold, Fargo. It tells of this former resident of Frazee, Minn., who continually looks for some way to help someone else.

But his wife Mabel is at the top of his priority list. While Rome lives in the Lamplighter Manor section of Emmanuel, Mabel lives in the Alzheimer's wing. Every day, Rome is there to feed her.

Budget cuts are putting a strain on Minnesota nursing home staffs. So volunteers have never been more appreciated. Volunteers like Rome.

He started out just helping Emmanuel's maintenance staff with the mowing. Now he mows five hours a day five days a week. Or at least he will, when the grass turns green.

Driving is a big part of his life. He takes Emmanuel residents to the grocery store, to doctors' appointments in Detroit Lakes and Fargo, to the hairdresser, maybe just to meet someone.

He's delivered medications to them and last year he drove a person to the hospital at 2 a.m.

Another time, a woman whose husband became ill called Rome, not the ambulance, to take him to the hospital.

Rome is a relaxed guy. One time it took a woman two hours to finish her shopping in a grocery store. Rome patiently waited in the vehicle the whole time. No problem.

Rome gets a little pay for doing some maintenance work around Emmanuel: changing light bulbs, making sure the doors are locked at night, fixing a sticky toilet.

But he often goes above and beyond the call of duty, such as putting a battery charger on a woman's car when the battery died.

He himself gets a charge out of playing cards with fellow Emmanuel residents every night and, above all, those meal times every day when he is with his wife to feed her.

A biggie is coming up for him this summer: As Minnesota's top senior citizen, he'll be given a place of honor in the annual Northwest Water Carnival Parade in Detroit Lakes.

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OK, Rome, we have some questions for you.

Neighbors: First of all, how did you get your unusual first name?

Like a good stand-up comedian, Rome shoots back, "I've had it all my life." But he adds he was named for an uncle.

Neighbors: How long are you going to keep on doing odd jobs at Emmanuel and volunteer work?

Rome: "As long as they don't fire me, I'm going to keep on."

Neighbors: Rome, you're closing in on 80. You could be sitting back and cooling it these days. Why do you go from morning to night doing all these activities?

Rome: "You have to do something. If you let machinery sit and never use it, it gets rusty, you know."

Rome is in no danger of getting rusty.

If you have an item of interest for this column, mail it to Neighbors, The Forum, Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107; fax it to (701) 241-5487; or e-mail rlind@forumcomm.com