Apr. 10, 2005 - JAMESTOWN -- Eighty-four-year-old Bertha Roemich walks three miles every day, except some Sundays.

"I get lazy on Sundays," she said.

Lazy is a word nobody but Roemich would use to describe herself. She works a full-time job as a housekeeper at Gladstone Inn and Suites, only cutting back from six days a week to five days at the beginning of this year.

"We look at her as a human phenomenon," said Phyllis Thompson, general manager of the Gladstone. "We're just in awe."

Walking is her secret weapon, Roemich said. In the summers she walks to work, and in the winters, she walks in the Jamestown Mall.

"If I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in, I'll tell you that," she said.

Roemich said she started walking about 16 or more years ago. She saw other people walking for exercise and decided to try it.

"I felt better and I never quit," she said.

She can start out with a headache, but at the end of three miles, it's gone.

"I miss it when I can't walk," Roemich said.

It keeps her from having health problems.

"I was in worse shape when I was 50 than I am now," she said.

Thompson knows from experience just how much energy Roemich has. After talking about it for a year, she went walking with her on Jan. 21 -- Roemich's 84th birthday.

"I'd kept saying, 'If you can do it, I can do it,'" she said.

Thompson showed up at the mall and surprised the housekeeper. But she wasn't used to Roemich's rigorous routine, and she ran out of steam before they hit the three-mile mark.

"I walked about half way with her (and had to stop)," Thompson said.

Walking isn't the only way Roemich keeps active. On a recent Friday, she was responsible for cleaning 20 rooms at the hotel. It's a job she's very good at, Thompson said.

Customers notice it, too. A lot of regular customers ask for rooms in her section, Thompson said. Roemich knows their preferences -- like which customers like extra coffee in their rooms.

Customers often stop by Roemich's cart to chat, Thompson said. And they leave her the most tips.

Roemich not only is interesting to talk to, she's also a dependable worker, Thompson said. She misses very few days and works very hard.

"She could probably outdo a good portion of the staff," Thompson said.

"Everybody on staff, we all look up to Bertha. What Bertha says, pretty much goes."

Courtney Buchholtz, assistant manager of the Gladstone, considers it a privilege to know Roemich. The 84-year-old is cheerful, considerate and humble, she said.

"What she does, she doesn't realize how amazing it is," Buchholtz said. "She doesn't think it's anything special."

Roemich said she likes working with her co-workers, and enjoys visiting with the customers.

"I like to get to know them," she said. "They ask me questions and I ask them."

Brian Block, who works in maintenance at the Gladstone, compares Roemich to wine.

"She gets better with age all the time," he said.

He's impressed by how hard she works and that she walks three miles a day. And he sees how much the customers appreciate her.

"She's kind of like everybody's grandma," he said.

The Gladstone Inn & Suites which has recently changed it's name from the Gladstone Select Inn, has been going through many upgrades in an effort to make your whole stay more enjoyable. We have added an online reservation system, as well as high-speed internet access. We have been busy throughout the whole hotel with redecorating and upgrading projects. We have upgraded Shady's dining room with a new coat of paint, new carpet, and new chairs. We have also completed the installation of an electronic key system, and have added 27" televisions to most of the rooms.

Our new exercise room is bright and cheery, thanks to local artist Eileen Williams. Guests can now bicycle and run as long as they want to, without leaving the building. A refrigerator in the exercise room is also full of free water. Many thanks go out to Robert Block who spent many hours making the exercise room what it is today!

We have 9 theme suites, plus the addition of our latest, the "Jacuzzi Getaway Suite". The two-room suite is perfect for you to make your "Getaway". If you need time to relax or renew, hire a babysitter and come spend the night with us. The Getaway Suite would also make a perfect gift for a special occasion.

There are many local businesses that have given input and helped to make this joint effort a success. We would first, like to give a special thanks to Jan for designing and decorating, and Brian, Charles, and Bob for many hours of labor. We would also like to thank these local businesses: True Value Hardware, Bob's Plumbing, Greenwood Plumbing & Heating, Roger's Electric, The Garden Gate, Conlin's Furniture, Zimmerman's Furniture, Jerry's Furniture, JC Penny, Wal-Mart, UBC, C.H. Carpenter, Schubert's, and Smitty's Carpet.

We have a complete business center located just across from the registration desk. Our guests are free to use the business center 24 hours a day. If you need to log in to the computer, just ask one of our friendly desk clerks and they can give you a username and password. The computer is connected to the internet through our high-speed wireless network and can be used to surf the internet or to send and recieve e-mail from web-based e-mail accounts. The business center also features a copy machine. If you need to send a fax, contact our front desk and we can help.

A lot more exciting things are coming in the near future...