Fisher Reminisces about Her Eighteen Years at Chinook Pharmacy
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After eighteen years of service to Chinook Pharmacy, Darla Fisher is moving to Helena. To celebrate her service, Kelcey and Nancy Diemert invited the public to stop by 300 Indiana Street on August 26 or 27 "to have some cake and to wish Darla well."
Many people commented on Fisher's leaving by expressing sentiments similar to this individual's: "Thank you for all your kindness and help. We will miss your smiling, happy face. Enjoy your retirement! You will be missed!"
Despite the sentiment on the cake that the Diemerts ordered from Ginger Hansen and despite the comments to that regard, Fisher is not actually retiring. In fact, she will begin a pharmacy technician job in October in Helena.
With her husband, Randy Fisher, the couple will be moving to Northwest Helena to be closer to their son Chris, his wife Laura, and their four children. Chris is a Project Manager for an engineering firm in the Helena area.
"We're excited to be living near our grandchildren, but there is no way to repay this community. We are ever so grateful for the blessing of living in a small community with such caring and generous people," Fisher said.
As she reflected on her time with the pharmacy, Fisher claims she will miss the satisfaction of her job and how often the group made work fun. "I have amazing bosses in Kelcey and Nancy, and we all make such a supportive team. I will always cherish our camaraderie," she said. "We'd play some of the best games, like the Price Is Right, Putting Golf, or Perfect Pour to pass the time on slow days or to earn the chance to go home early."
With Perfect Pour, when a prescription called for sixty tablets, for example, and the pills poured and counted equaled
Continued on Page A2: Darla Fisher
that exact number, the person with the 'perfect pour' earned the privilege of an early departure from work. However, because that scenario began to happen too frequently, that reward turned into a penalty with the perfect pourer being designated the one to pay for lunch.
Other moments that Fisher remembers include practical jokes, Girls' Night Out at Christmastime, and the entertainment she and her co-workers all enjoyed to mitigate the stress imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. "Because we were working in rotating teams during COVID, we had pictures of everyone that would just magically show up in unexpected places, like the underside of a prescription tray or in a coffee mug. You didn't dare pour a cup of coffee without looking into the mug first," she laughed.
"But maybe the funniest moment for us was when we put a piece of tape on Kelcey's wireless mouse so that it could not transmit a signal. He got quite grumpy and frustrated about its failure to function. We still laugh about that. Actually, there are times that I've said, 'we should start a book.' The sabotage of Kelcey's mouse would make the book, of course, as would certain moments with patrons. One time an elderly gentleman called, quite upset that we had sent home a medication with instructions to 'take with alcohol.' He had quit drinking several years ago and said he couldn't possibly take the medication. Even though I reassured him that the medication should NOT be taken with alcohol, he wasn't convinced."
Fisher also recalls the pharmacy's move from the Ace Hardware building to their current location on Chinook's main street. In fact, she claims to have enjoyed every one of her jobs during her time living in Chinook. "People here are so cordial and easy to work with," she decided. "I will miss the friendships that we developed."
About Fisher, Nancy Diemert commented, "Darla is so easy to be around. She always has a positive attitude and never says a bad word about anyone else. She's patient, helpful, and kind. Every day we laugh and find humor. We all really enjoy one another. In fact, I like to come to work because of who I work with."
For the farewell celebration, the Diemerts purchased and served a white cake with lemon cream filling that was frosted in yellow, white, and blue buttercream icing. To her edible palette, Hansen had also added silk sunflowers, short wheat stalks, a small bird, and a blue gourd. A pitcher of water, a bowl of mixed nuts, and a lab beaker containing candy rounded out the party fare.
