Valentines, Veterans and VA Volunteers - A Lifetime of Serving TOGETHER
As lifelong Valentines, Veterans and Volunteers, Rosemary and Warren Heinsohn have spent a lifetime together in the service of others. For the past 23 years, they have dedicated themselves to serving fellow Veterans as VA volunteers with the Marion VA Health Care system in Evansville, IN.
With enthusiasm and purpose, both continue to give of their time and energy to improve the lives of other Veterans. Rosemary, a Navy Veteran, and Warren, an Army Veteran who served during the Korean War, were both born in Indiana. “If you want to know,” Warren stated, “I won’t go anywhere else.” When asked why, he simply added, “I just love Evansville!” He and Rosemary met in 1958 through her sister who worked with Warren at the time, and they have been married now for almost 64 years. When asked if he had a secret to long life and marriage, Warren smiled and simply said, “I am easy going…I guess.”
Rosemary has served as a VA Volunteer since 2000 when she began volunteering with the Evansville Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Since then, she has served in a variety of assignments. She has assisted the Lab, served at the Information Desk, assisted the Fee Basis department, as well as helping in Records Management. “If something needed to be done, then I did it…” shared Rosemary. Currently, she is serving as a volunteer at the Information Desk at the Evansville VA CBOC and is also a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Service Organization. She can always be counted on to ensure the front desk has adequate coverage to assist and care for the Veterans. When asked why she continues to volunteer, Rosemary added, “I didn’t plan on volunteering this many years, but there was a need to assist Veterans, so I thought, ‘why not’?”
Warren began volunteering with the VA the same year as Rosemary. Warren chose to devote his time to serving as a Volunteer Transportation Network (VTN) volunteer driver. As a member of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Service Organization, he continued serving as a volunteer driver for more than 18 years. For the last five years, Warren has been serving in his new role as an Information Desk/Red Coat Ambassador volunteer.
In December 2022 at the Annual Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE) Holiday Award and Appreciation Banquet, Rosemary and Warren were both presented with an award for over 10,000 hours of dedicated service to Veterans through CDCE programming. The award was presented by Dr. William Irwin, Assistant Director for the Marion VA Health Care System, Evansville, IN (Photo).
Before volunteering with the VA, Warren worked at Crescent Plastics in Evansville for 44 years, and prior to his retirement, he worked as a Sales Coordinator. When Warren was asked what his “WHY” was for volunteering, he had this to say, “Well, you know when I got out of the service and came to the VA, I was treated like royalty. They rolled out the red carpet for me! I thought that was so marvelous. Everybody was just so wonderful to me, so I said I would give something back in return. I will volunteer for you (VA). And so far, everybody I’ve met has been really, really nice. You know I am very pleased with the VA!” Warren and Rosemary continue regularly serving each and every week. And, at 92 years of age, they are a wonderful example of dedicated service to Veterans.
Warren shared a few final thoughts and words of wisdom. “I think all Veterans should register with the VA when they get out of service because I think they get excellent care and treatment…I have been very pleased with the VA.”
If you would like to know how you, like Rosemary and Warren, can find an opportunity to give back to those who have sacrificed and served, please contact the Center for Development and Civic Engagement at (618) 993-4121.