The Pennsylvania House has been serving our area for 30 years and for 25 of those years, Donna Miller has served her duties in the high rise.
On June 20, 1983, Miller began her work at the Pennsylvania House.
“I worked at a property in Altoona for the same type of management corporation and they had an opening here at the Pennsylvania House,” Miller stated. “They gave me a call and offered me a job and I’ve been here ever since.”
Miller worked with a fellow friend, Dean Garber, who she ran into the first day they met on June 20, 1983, for 18 years. She stated, “It was a torrential down pour that day and I ran to the building with no umbrella and the first person I ran into was Dean [Garber]. He was a maintenance superintendent and we managed to work together for 18 years. He still lives in this building even after retirement.”
Garber and Miller became great friends through their years of hard work at the high rise and enjoyed every moment they had in the housing business.
“It shocks me that it went this fast. My daughter was 11 when I started here and now her son is 11, time really flies,” Miller said as she reached back into her memories of her life.
The job at the high rise is a stressful one, but when a person has the support of others around her, the job may become peaceful.
“There is more paperwork than imaginable, but it’s not about the paperwork, it’s about the people I work with and the people within the building. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be in the same business. If I had to go back and change anything, I wouldn’t. The people that I have worked with and the people around me have been my biggest supporters and I greatly appreciate all of their help,” said Miller of her life at the high rise.
The high rise is a place where people are loving, caring and happy when they live there. If anything, it is one of the best places to be after retirement for those who choose to go away from their home.
“I’m really lucky because I can honestly say I have not had a boring day in my 25 years here. Every day is a different experience and they are never boring,” Miller said with a smile.
One thing is certain, the people who lived in the Pennsylvania House have generations move in and out, making the people of the high rise proud to know they have done a good job.
“The biggest compliment is knowing that when people move out, their relatives want to move in because they knew of the experience their relative had previously. When this happens, we know we have done a good job. For 30 years this place has been here, and I’m glad to have almost been along for the entire ride. I have had a memorable moment every day,” Miller finished with a smile as she looked back in her past at the high rise.
Miller has served her community well with her honor and pride in what she loves to do. The Pennsylvania House is lucky enough to have people like her working within the building to keep things kosher. For 25 years, the Pennyslvania House has been blessed to have a person like Miller work within the system.
