Louise Hodapp likes people. Her infectious laugh, attentive ear and quick perception of the person in front of her gives her the unique ability to connect with people in a very short time — a talent and skill she waves off, saying she’s “just doing her job.”

But to the people around her, Louise does much more than her job – or should we say, “jobs” at Immanuel St. Joseph’s. For more than 35 years, Louise has served Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital as a faithful employee. She gets up at 3:00 each morning and starts her day in the Medical Records Department. At 6:30 a.m., she greets people as they enter the hospital, helping them find their way and providing information. Then at 8:45 a.m., she heads to the cafeteria, where she interacts with everyone there as cashier.

“Louise has given her life to this hospital,” says her supervisor, Paula Hahne, retail manager-cafeteria. “She loves it here, and it shows. We truly appreciate her. Louise exemplifies customer service in this hospital and for this organization – she knows how to treat people.”

She knows how to help them, too. When she learned Immanuel St. Joseph’s Foundation was holding a silent auction as part of an employee campaign to support the new heart and cancer centers, her decision to help came quickly. During her off hours, she sat at her sewing machine making outfits for an American Girl doll that she would donate to the silent auction. Her creativity flowed. The completed package included 39 outfits, nine pairs of shoes, and the collectible doll complete with stand.

“I just love making doll clothes,” Louise says. “When I learned there would be a silent auction during the Foundation’s Employee campaign, I knew what I wanted to do. I just kept sewing – It was a way I could help.”

Louise credits her work ethic and spirit of generosity to lessons she learned growing up in a large family with giving parents.

“My parents were real churchy,” she says. “Each Christmas, my dad would buy candy or clothes or something for children in a family who had less than us, and he would make all eight of us kids take it to them. We were taught to give, regardless of how much you have.

That’s a lesson Louise took to heart. She’s made over 100 monetary gifts through Immanuel St. Joseph’s Foundation.

Louise’s husband, Lyle, has experienced a history of health problems over the years, and Louise says her family has had its share of hard times. But in her book, having rough times yourself doesn’t mean you do less for others.

“I guess I’m a better giver than a getter,” she laughs. “Once some people had a benefit for us when we had some tough times, and man, that was hard for me. But it helped me gain perspective.”

It’s with keen insight and sensitivity that she reaches out to patients struggling through chemotherapy or dialysis. She’s surprised when people thank her for caring, because to her, “that’s what she’s there for.”

“We were brought onto this earth to do good work, and I love my job,” she shares. “I get to know some of the patients who come here every day,” she says. “I miss them when I don’t see them anymore.”

Louise helps people at the hospital with her friendly enthusiasm. When an injury kept her from work, she was frustrated and bored. When poor health kept her husband from traveling to northern Minnesota, which she loves, she cheerfully made do – with a little help from her family.

There can’t be many vacationers who enjoy their second home more than Louise and Lyle – and the commute short. Their cabin lies “north” of their home – just out the back door on their five-acre wooded site near Eagle Lake. Family members built the cabin with love (and a few laughs) from salvaged materials. Weekends find friends and family gathered on the porch or around a campfire.

“We have just as much fun here as we would if it was in the northern part of the state,” she says. “This way, we go to the cabin a lot more often.”

Wherever she is, Louise is probably tending to someone’s needs, telling stories and teasing. At work, at play, or helping a favorite cause like Immanuel St. Joseph’s Foundation, her focus is always on someone else—lifting their spirit with the joy of her own.