Patty Nakashima may be a California girl at heart, but these days she’s embracing life in St. Louis at Bethesda Orchard, exhibiting a passion for hard work, friendships and Wisconsin-based hamburgers. We’ll get to the hamburgers in a second.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patty moved to St. Louis in the 1960s with her then-husband, where they ran a business and raised their family. Even after selling the business, Patty enjoyed St. Louis, and while one daughter returned to California, her other daughter and family live nearby.
After living alone for many years, Patty toured Bethesda Orchard in March 2023 at age 80. It was the first place she visited—and the last.
“I liked how close it was to everything,” Patty says. “After the tour I looked at my family and said, ‘This is it; this is where I want to be.’”
Patty has always stayed busy. Over the years, she worked at the family business, a bookstore and a department store. But her life changed in her 40s, when friends who worked at a Wendy’s restaurant encouraged her to apply.
She wasn’t looking to work at Wendy’s. She wasn’t looking for a job in food service. She wasn’t even looking for a job! And here comes the best part.
“I had never even been to a Wendy’s before,” Patty says. “But I thought it would be fun to be with friends. Once the owners knew I had experience with bookkeeping, I was made a manager!”
She managed a few stores over the next 10 years before she decided to retire—for the first time.
Not too much time had passed before an old colleague and friend persuaded Patty to open a restaurant, which she ran for a couple of years before retiring once more.
Food has always been significant to Patty’s life. Her mother taught her to cook, and family gatherings often revolved around meals. On a Wisconsin vacation, she remembers discovering Culver’s and their “nicely browned burgers.” Upon moving to Bethesda Orchard, she was thrilled to find a Culver’s nearby. She stopped by for a ButterBurger one day—and left with a job.
“I never thought I’d work in food again,” Patty says. “But I love their food. And I was bored not working, and I missed being around people. So, I thought, why not?”
Currently, Patty spends around 25 hours a week keeping the dining area spotless, wiping down tables and greeting every customer with a smile. Occasionally, fellow Bethesda Orchard residents drop in for a bite and to say hello.
“We were all so excited when Patty started working there,” says Patsy Conte, a Bethesda Orchard resident and Patty’s friend. “We all wish we had her energy.”
And energy is something that Patty has in abundance. She is enjoying her time at Culver’s until she decides to retire for a third time. Then, how will she reinvent herself again?
“I’m not sure what I’ll do next,” Patty muses. “I might go back to school. I’ve always thought that would be fun.”
For more resident stories, visit Bethesda’s blog!
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