Est. March 31, 1999
Monday, April 1, 2024
Behind every great man is an even better woman
In Honor of Lucille Tutera
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It is my honor that on Monday, April 1, the day after Easter, we will celebrate the 26th anniversary of Founder’s Day. The corporate offices of The Tutera Group and Tutera Senior Living & Health Care will be closed. All corporate employees will be given a paid company holiday.
While Founder’s Day originated to recognize our founder Dr. Dominic F. Tutera “Doc,” this year it has grown to also encompass the life and legacy of Lucille Tutera, his wife, friend, colleague, partner, coworker and teammate in life, work and family. In previous years, Lucille was able to join us in celebrating Doc’s legacy, but on August 28th, 2023, at 92 years of age, she passed and will be beside Doc and they are able to celebrate Founder’s Day together, for the first time. On such a special edition of this memo, I find it important to celebrate Lucille’s impact specifically, and the way she carried on Doc’s work long after he passed.
Lucille represents everything we embody in our Vision, Mission and Values of Integrity, Hospitality, Respect and Positivity. Lucille lived the YOUNITE philosophy of compassionate care for others, which has always been an integral part of who she was. It is not an accident that the values and qualities that we look to instill and emulate within our teammates originated from Lucille. These characteristics are a common thread of what connected Doc and Lucille as husband and wife and what they worked their entire lives to instill in others.
Lucille did not just talk about the qualities that guide our organization today – she lived them. From commissioning our first skilled facility, Plaza Manor in 1983, through being the Executive Director of The Atriums Senior Living Community for more than 25 years, Lou defined warm and nurturing senior living care. Lucille lived these qualities as evident in her relationship with each resident and their families whose lives she touched. She became the trusted confidant and a member of their family.
An excerpt from her eulogy below perfectly sums up Doc and Lou’s relationship and their commitment to care:
“My father used to say that a person is like a glass of water – when you put your finger in the water a void opens, perfectly fit to your finger with no other exact duplicate to fill that void. But when you remove your finger the void fills perfectly as if was never there. Through this he taught us of the importance of humility and family because only family continues forever. When Doc passed, Lou filled the void by dedicating herself to the care and compassion for others – first for her own mother and then for thousands and thousands of seniors and their families. She was the ever-present mother to the children and the loving caregiver and trusted friend of the residents. It is fitting that Doc delivered babies – bringing them into the world, and Lou cared for them the rest of their life. We have comfort that Lucille has joined her husband once again. Her void has been filled, her family is whole, complete, and strong, and lives on. That is the most any of us can hope for.”
It is with great pride, but a heavy heart, that I honor Lucille along with Dr. Dominic Tutera this Founder’s Day and each to follow.
Thank you all for being part of this wonderful opportunity we have to make others’ lives better through our hard work and compassion for others.
Tutera Senior Living & Health Care, through Doc’s Inspiration, has chosen and is committed to caring for our seniors through developing and instilling Integrity, Commitment and Accountability in our company’s culture and relationships.
A Few Words About the History of Founder’s Day
Founder’s Day is a memorial to our founder Dr. Dominic “Doc” Tutera, my father. It is a day to enjoy time with our family and friends and take a break over the long Easter weekend. It is an opportunity to do something unexpected for others in the spirit of generosity, compassion and care as a tribute to the way Doc lived his life.
Doc started Tutera Group in 1985 while retiring from a 30-year career as an OBGYN. Being a physician was a way of life, not a career for Doc. It was a life he loved in every way. It was about daily sacrifice, gladly given in exchange for the reward of serving others in a way only he could. He served above and beyond any standard of integrity, compassion and care expected by others. He lived his life by his rules of conduct, which required taking responsibility for the well-being of others – his patients and their children, and later his residents and employees.
Doc left this legacy to help guide us and honor the company that bears his name. Twenty-four years after his passing, this legacy stands strong and proud of its culture, values and heritage – they are the very values he lived. They are the values that are essential for this company to survive, grow and provide care to thousands of residents and livelihood to thousands of employees and their families.
Doc was a builder – a builder of families, relationships, values, passions, friendships as well as buildings and businesses. Tutera Group continues to grow today and for that I am certain he would be very pleased. We grow to adapt and survive. We grow not just because we can, or others do, rather because it allows us to realize his vision / our vision. His vision requires that we not only meet the standards others set for us but also strive to meet the standards we set for ourselves. If you live by those standards as Doc did, you will also make a profound, positive impact in the lives of many.
Doc instilled the same values in his company that he lived by as a physician, father, friend and coworker. Through his work, he was able to bring satisfaction and happiness to many employees, patients and residents, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in profound ways. Through Founder’s Day, we are offering something that might inspire us to make a positive impact in each other’s lives and the lives of others.
Doc was a generous man, and that generosity lives on in each of us and as an organization. We are very grateful for the sacrifice each of you makes to improve the lives of others and to sustain our mission and viability.