We often discuss the success and satisfaction found by celebrity nannies and personal assistants, but housekeepers are the unsung heroes of the domestic services industry. Recently, The Frederick News-Post, a local newspaper in Maryland, featured the story of Mary Ann Delauter, a housekeeper who recently retired from her position at Frederick Memorial Hospital (FMH), which she had held for 25 years.
Though her most recent post was at a public institution, Delauter began as a private housekeeper and nanny to several families in her local community. Both she and the children (now full-grown) who she cared for remember those early years fondly.
Delauter reflected on her profoundly strong relationship with the families in an interview with the newspaper, saying, "We'd sit down at the table together. I never felt out of place and they never made me feel like I was out of place."
The housekeeper's relationship with her employers was so strong that Jim Fitzgerald, the patriarch of the first family she worked with, helped her obtain her housekeeping role at the hospital. Another family helped her through her husband's illness and passing, providing transportation to doctor's appointments and even funds for his care, according to the newspaper. Delauter also regularly keeps in touch with the families who opened their homes and lives to her.
Finding the right housekeeper or nanny can make a world of difference to any family. At Colonial Domestic Agency, we select the most qualified candidates and will match you with a professional who you will want to welcome into your home for the next 20 years.