She removes her black visor and straightens her impeccably neat ponytail after another eight hour shift at Einstein Bros Bagel and Coffee Shop in the UI Commons. After clocking out, the tall, slender woman fills a plastic cup with pink lemonade – she only drinks coffee at home.
Those unacquainted with the efficient and chatty woman commonly found behind the till, Virginia Dunham, would find it hard to believe that her husband died about nine months ago of liver failure. Dunham said they were aware of his diagnosis a year-and-a-half prior to his death, and were able to take advantage of each day they had together.
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Virginia Dunham works at Einstein Bros. Bagels in the UI Commons and is described as the life of the coffee shop.
“We were best buds. I wouldn”t trade that 18-year ride for the world,” Dunham said. “We got to say our goodbyes. He told me not to do anything stupid. I can”t go get a tattoo – I thought about it, but I feel like somehow he”ll know.”
Dunham, 51, and her husband came to Moscow from Seattle seven years ago in a 1980s Dodge Ram van when the economy took a hit and she lost her job working in insurance, she said. They came to visit her husband”s sons who lived in the area, but what was originally meant to be a vacation became home. Dunham said that after almost 20 years in the city, she and her husband fell in love with the peace and quiet of the Palouse and decided to stay.
Despite losing her husband, Dunham has no intention of leaving the Palouse.
“I”ve done corporate America, I”ve lived in a big city, I”ve done all that,” Dunham said. “This is where my husband and I created a home. There”s memories. This is where I took care of him and he took care of me.”
Dunham spends her free time playing with her 120-pound Labrador Shepherd, Bunker, and gets her news like she did growing up – from the cable news stations. Dunham owns no computer or cell phone, and doesn”t intend to any time in the future.
“I”m a happy little dinosaur,” Dunham said.
Dunham said the best thing about her job is all of the interaction she has with the people on the university campus. Dunham has worked at Einstein Bros since it opened in 2010, and said she has received amazing support from her co-workers. She said they”ve been right beside her throughout her journey, and that she loves watching them grow.
Kayla Stirm, another cashier at Einstein”s, said she has worked beside Dunham for three years. She said that customers often ask for Dunham when they come in, and when she isn”t there they are visibly disappointed.
“She”s the life of Einstein”s,” Stirm said. “She”s always positive, that”s for sure. Even if she”s having a rough day she”ll make a joke.”
Dunham went through a rough time about three months ago, she said. On a particularly bad day, she received a letter in the mail from her bereavement group, which reminded her that it was OK to be angry, and it was OK to cry. The group always seems to know when she needs a pick-me-up, she said.
“(The letter) said, “You can”t go around it, you have to go through it,”” Dunham said. “So that”s what I”m doing.”
Lyndsie Kiebert can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lyndsie_kiebert