90-year-old woman celebrates 74 years with same company

WOODRIDGE, Ill. -- It was May 21, 1941, when Josephine Bertucci started a brand new job; now, she's still working at the company, more than seven decades later.

The Edward Don Company in Woodridge has been around since the early 1920s. And even though Bertucci hasn't been here since the very beginning, the 5-foot-tall package of charming dynamite has been here since the days of FDR. And she's about to celebrate her 90th birthday.

In those days, the Don Company was at 22nd and LaSalle. They supplied restaurants with equipment and materials. Bertucci was just 16 and in need of a job.

"I graduated from high school on a Sunday in 1941 and I came here on a Wednesday in 1941. Got hired and I'm still here. Seventy-four years," she said.

Steve Don has a long family connection with Bertucci.

"She worked for my grandfather, then my father, and now for me. What kind of employee? She's one of the best. She comes here with a smile on her face, is really energetic and is just happy to be here," Don said.

Bertucci has even saved the original Chicago Tribune job ad.

"I was very lucky to see the ad in the paper. I applied, got the job, and here I am 74 years later," Bertucci said.

She works two days a week in accounts payable. It's basically the same job she has had since the beginning. No smoking and no alcohol for her - Bertucci says it's work that keeps her young and pain-free.

"People go to the casino, when they get in the casino, nothing hurts them. They can't walk when they're out of the casino but when they go in they can run. It's the same thing. Nothing hurts you when you're busy," she said.

The widow and mother of one always spends part of her day greeting fellow workers. Good medicine for everyone.