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Family ties: Three generations have served Veterans at the Milwaukee VA

Five people stand together in a photo, smiling, with an elderly woman in the center.
These five women, representing three generations of the same family, have been or are currently Milwaukee VA employees. Standing, from left, are sisters Callista Pitre, Jessica Stewart and Jennifer Carlson (all current employees) and their mother, Cynthia Schneider. Seated is the sisters’ grandmother Edna Sersch. Cynthia and Edna are retired from the Milwaukee VA. The sisters’ father, Eric Schneider, also worked at the Milwaukee VA but was not available for this photo.

By David Walter, Public Affairs Specialist

Three sisters who work at the Milwaukee VA are carrying on a family legacy that spans three generations.

Callista Pitre, Jessica Stewart and Jennifer Carlson are the latest in their family to work in the hospital. They follow in the footsteps of their mother and father — who met at the Milwaukee VA — and their grandmother.

  • Jennifer, 43, has been at the Milwaukee VA for 25 years, working in Environmental Management Service, assigned to the Operating Room.
  • Jessica, 36, also works in EMS, serving in the Progressive Care Unit. She’s been at the VA for seven months.
  • Callista, 30, is an administrative support assistant for Hematology/Oncology, Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She has been with the VA for nearly three years. 

Starting with grandmother

The family’s service to the Milwaukee VA began with the sisters’ grandmother, Edna Sersch, who started in Nutrition and Food Service in 1977 before moving to EMS. She retired in 1987. The sisters’ mother, Cynthia Schneider, started in 1989 and retired in 2023, also working in food service.

Their dad, Eric Schneider, was a cook in the U.S. Army, serving 1975-78. He continued in the culinary arts at the Milwaukee VA in 1979, retiring in 2011. Eric and Cynthia met on the job, married, and continued to work together until Eric’s retirement.

And while the sisters are not Veterans, their father’s side of the family boasts five generations of military service, going back to the Civil War.

‘A good place to work’

For the sisters, the Milwaukee VA has always been a part of their lives.

Callista and Jessica remember coming to the hospital as children and being impressed by the camaraderie of her parents’ co-workers.

“My mom and dad both talked about how it is a good place to work and how you feel good at the end of the day being able to serve the Veterans who fought for us,” Callista said, saying she feels the same way.

Jennifer said she’s always been thankful for working at the hospital. She started when she was 18 and a new mother, grateful to have a steady job and to be with her parents.

“Being a young mom working here, I just felt great,” she said. “And I love interacting with the Veterans and hearing their stories.”

While Jennifer was the first of the three to get hired, Jessica and Callista applied for jobs without their sister’s knowledge.

Jessica said she tried to get a job at the Milwaukee VA for many years before finally getting hired. She said working in PCU has allowed her to connect with several patients who have been in the unit for an extended period.

“It’s a home here,” she said. “The nurses and the managers make me feel like I’m one of them on the floor. I would say, ‘I’m just the cleaner here,’ but they say, ‘No, you are part of our team too.’”

Connecting with Veterans

Jessica and Jennifer noted that EMS workers can sometimes connect with patients in ways the nurses and doctors can’t.

“Sometimes these patients don’t have visitors, so for us to be able to listen to them is all they want. They like our company because we’re the only company they have,” Jennifer said. “And I enjoy being able to hear their stories."

Jessica agreed.

“It’s nice to gain those relationships with the Vets,” she said. “I feel comfortable and happy to come to work every day knowing we are here to help our Veterans who served for us. It’s just a joy.”

Someone to turn to

The sisters sometimes have lunch together and take solace in knowing there’s someone just a few floors away they can turn to in a pinch.

“When you have a situation you don’t know how to handle, it’s good to know that you have your siblings you can reach out to,” Jessica said.

“If we didn’t work together, we probably wouldn’t see each other as often,” Callista said. “It’s nice to be at a workplace and know that you have family … you can lean on.”

Continuing the family legacy

The sisters credit their parents for instilling in them a good work ethic. And they point out that their parents did not push them into working for the Milwaukee VA; it was a choice each made on their own.

They’re also proud of their service, and all three said they hope to retire from the Milwaukee VA.

“I take comfort in knowing that generations (of our family) worked here,” Callista said. “It’s a way to bond together.”

“We’re keeping the chain going,” Jessica said.

“It is a good place to work, and we take pride in serving the Veterans who have served us,” Jennifer said.