Saying goodbye to a familiar face

Brenda Larion celebrated her retirement with her husband Bill, left, recreation department director Bob DeMinico, and the many friends she made during her tenure in the city of Westlake.

Friday, Sept. 5, marked the end of an era for the Westlake Recreation Center as longtime employee Brenda Larion retired. After 16 years at the center, it was time for Brenda to join her husband in retirement.

Brenda came to the City of Westlake from the North Olmsted Board of Education in 1998. Brenda was hired as the original front desk manager where she remained for over a dozen years. The past several years Brenda has downsized and was acting as the Recreation Department’s finance guru. If you wanted something, Brenda was the person you had to go through. 

During her years of service, Brenda always had a smile on her face and brought that energy to not only the Recreation Center but to City Hall where she was often seen spreading her cheer from department to department. Her daily “run” allowed her to go to the golf course, bank, city hall and, during the summer, even Peterson Pool. 

Brenda has two loves, Marblehead and Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Oh, well maybe a third – her husband, Bill. On this particular Friday, Brenda’s last day, it was 5:00 somewhere but for Brenda, the staff made her wait. Wait to show their appreciation as staff from the recreation, service and finance departments and City Hall joined together at the Ironwood Café to help share in this happy time. 

Brenda will still be in the area as her one son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter reside in the area. However, once the cold winds start to blow, Brenda and Bill will be heading south to Fort Myers Beach where it will always be 5:00!