By Cathy Holt

Whenever Viola Cargill is sitting, she’s crocheting, or so it seems. Lately she has concentrated on making beautiful hats for cancer patients: to date, she has made over thirty of them. Two church volunteers, Barbara and Diane, bring her yarn and deliver the hats to patients whose hair has fallen out as a result of chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Each hat takes her about three hours to complete. “It’s my joy, to crochet for others,” says Ms Cargill with her generous smile.

She has made afghans, hats, scarves, and more. “I’ve been crocheting for over thirty years now,” Ms Cargill mused. She is also skilled in many other crafts.

Born in Asheville, Ms Cargill went to Livingston Street School and Asheville Junior High through the eighth grade. She moved to Florida, where she got married and worked in a packing house, and then lived in New York for some years. In 1985, she earned a license to be a Home Health Aide, and she enjoyed working with elderly clients, doing their cooking, cleaning, and assisting them in countless ways.

She moved back to Asheville and has lived at Bartlett Arms since 1993. At one time, she wanted to open a board-and-care home of her own, but this dream never came to be. Following in their mother’s footsteps, both of her daughters, Cynthia and Coquita, have worked as Certified Nursing Assistants.

“I am blessed. My mother had nine girls, and I have outlived all of them but one. That’s why I always try to help somebody else,” she affirmed.