Still pitching in
January 2024 marked Angie Gritsch’s 40th year at Grinnell Mutual and she’s reflecting on her journey. Gritsch is a material distribution assistant at Grinnell Mutual.
She fondly recalls her interview. She and a friend had both gone in for an interview, but she was the one who ended up landing the job. “I think I got hired because they asked if I played slow-pitch softball, and I said yes,” she said, laughing. “I suspect the company needed more players for the women’s team!” Back then, softball skills were just as important as office skills apparently.
She reminisces about the early days operating copier machines and helping fellow colleagues with massive press machines to print in-house publications and the physical effort it took. The printing room was constantly flooded with staff members making all sorts of requests — from photocopying documents to printing out orders and picking up mail and packages. “It’s funny to think that I knew almost every staff member by name then,” she said.
When asked why she’s stayed with Grinnell Mutual for four decades, she doesn’t hesitate: “The people! I love my job because of the people I work with and for — oh, and let’s not forget the benefits. Especially the sick leave! You don’t have to use your vacation days when you’re sick because they’re separate — that’s a winner in my book.”
Church and community
Gritsch has also been a familiar face at Saint Patrick’s Catholic church in Brooklyn, Iowa, where she has served as the director of religious education (youth minister) for 27 years. She retired from the position — twice! — but somehow, the parish keeps pulling her back in. “I’m planning to retire again this year, but we’ll see,” she said.
The love her students have for Gritsch is why the church keeps asking her to return. “One of the best parts of this job is getting to teach the children of students I had in the past. It warms my heart,” she said.
While she’s stepping back from the youth minister role, Gritsch isn’t going far — she’ll still be helping with teaching.
Gritsch is also the volleyball and basketball scorekeeper for the Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom (Iowa) school district. And just when she thought she could finally retire from that after 30 years, she got a call from the sports director. “I couldn’t say no,” she admitted. “I get to hang out with the kids and share more of my baked goods.”
“Some people think keeping score is easy — maybe it is for some sports — but basketball is a whole different ballgame. It’s very technical. I just hope I don’t make any mistakes this season, given the state of my eyesight,” she said.
Baking up a storm
Gritsch is just as involved with the “kids” in her own family. As the aunt without kids of her own, Gritsch takes great joy in spoiling her nieces, nephews, and their little ones. She’s known for showering them with sweet treats and slipping dollar bills into their hands on their birthdays. “Some family members say I spoil them too much — even the ones in their 30s,” she said, "but I don’t care. They’ll always be my babies.”
For Christmas, she bakes each niece and nephew their favorite bread —from cinnamon to pumpkin spice to poppy seed. She also bakes for the church kids and whips up goodies for away-game road trips.
“People ask if I’m ever going to slow down, and I just say, ‘I don’t know.’ As long as I’m able, I’ll keep giving my time to those who need it.”