‘We have been blessed’: Woman retires from Salvation Army in Pendleton after 33 years

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, July 19, 2023

PENDLETON— The Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center in Pendleton on Court Avenue will never be the same: Averyal Thomas has retired.

“We have been very blessed with Averyal. She will be missed. She is missed,” store manager Rocky Newtson said.

“A jewel,” is how longtime customer Birchie Westerlund described Thomas.

Thomas devoted 33 years of her life to working with the Salvation Army. Throughout the decades, Thomas has done pretty much everything— from ringing bells to sorting clothing to assisting management.

In 1987, it was Captain Calvin Prouty of the Salvation Army who recruited Thomas, and then it became official when she was hired on December 17 of that same year.

The first store manager she worked under was Donna Hubbard, who Thomas said she maintained a relationship with up until Hubbard’s passing.

“We kept in touch over all these years,” Thomas said of Hubbard. “We had a really great relationship. We adored each other.” And Thomas also mentioned that she has kept all the letters that Hubbard wrote to her.

From 1987 to 2023, there were only three years — July 1998 to February 2001 — that Thomas did not work for the Salvation Army, and that was because she temporarily lived in Burns, Oregon.

But once Thomas returned to Pendleton in 2001, she did not have to go out searching for a new job. A job came to her.

A former co-worker, Bill Good, came knocking at her front door. He told her, “Wanda Hill wants to hire you back.” Wanda Hill was the new manager.

At the time, Thomas said that Hill and her did not even know each other, so her initial response was “Why? She don’t even know me.” But Thomas did not let the opportunity pass. She applied and was rehired and has been there ever since.

After reflecting on her 33 years of service, Thomas said, “It’s the people. The people keep me going. If it weren’t for the people, I wouldn’t be here. I love the people I worked with, and all the customers are fabulous.”

“And I’ve seen a lot of people come and go,” Thomas said, “kids grow up and have kids of their own now.”

Thomas shared that she really liked the work and that she really liked helping people, and it was also good for herself as well. Thomas said she tends to be a shy person, but this work really helped her come out of her own shell.

“My goal in life is to make people smile, to laugh,” Thomas said, “so I try to do that every day.”

Thomas would always try to say something silly or she would try to give someone a hug. She said she would describe herself as a “happy-go-lucky person.”

“If I see someone in a sad mood or a bad mood,” Thomas said, “I want to cheer them up.”

“She makes it feel like a home,” Newtson said, and Thomas did whatever needed to be done. She would always step up and take initiative. “She is the foundation of this place.”

“She knows everyone,” Newtson said, “She knows every customer, and if someone new comes in, no one leaves without her getting to know you.”

Thomas said her favorite memory was about ten years ago when her and fellow employee, Kitsy Van Nattan — who Thomas has known since she was five years old — “were out back, in the back room, and it was such a hot summer, and it started to rain a little bit, so we grabbed each other’s hands and went out and danced in the rain. It was so hot, 110 degrees I think, and it was a downpour, so we danced.”

Another favorite part of her time at Salvation Army were the birthday cakes that Newtson would make for everyone on their birthdays.

“She is the best cook in town,” Thomas said, “Rocky would always make me my favorite, lemon meringue pie.”

Thinking about everyone she has worked with, Thomas said, “There is not one I don’t like. They are like family to me. I try to get along with everybody. It’s in my nature.”

Another longtime customer of over 30 years, Kelly Kennedy, said of Thomas that “She is always so sweet and helpful. She is the reason I keep going there, and sometimes it is to just say hello.”

Thomas does still plan on occasionally volunteering at Salvation Army, but she intends to focus on her own family during retirement.

Her daughter is Katrina Stahl, and she has two grandchildren, Anjelica Stahl-Thomas and Lucas Stahl. “I wouldn’t know what to do without them,” Thomas said.