Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Jerry Chmielewski celebrated for years spent serving Cedar Community

WEST BEND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- There aren't many people who get five parties when they decide to retire. 

But there aren't many guys like Jerry Chmielewski. 

We did the math, and Chmielewski oversaw more than 30-million meals in the last 25 years at Cedar Community in West Bend. 

And that deserves some celebration. 

Lunchtime is busy in the dining room at The Aspen at Cedar Lake.

On this day, they were serving up chili and pork chops. 

"What did you order for lunch?" Jerry Chmielewski asked a resident.  

And if anyone knows what it takes to serve all these meals, it's Chmielewski.

"I provided meals for 1,100 residents, three times a day, seven days a week," he said of his career.

Chmielewski worked as the director of dining operations at Cedar Community for more than 25 years. 

"It ended up being my passion. And I loved it," he said.

Chmielewski knows mealtime in this senior living community is about so much more than getting food out of the kitchen and onto tables. 

"You know, that's almost the love language of some residents," said Tracy Blaubach, vice president of human resources.

Time in the dining room is time to connect. 

"My main goal was to give them a good quality meal that they enjoyed, as well as providing an environment that they felt was fun and enjoyable," Chmielewski said.

Julie Gundrum has lived in the community for almost as long as Jerry has worked here. 

"You can tell he is wonderful. And thinking about us all of the time," she said.

Whether it's dressing up for Easter or other holidays, he tried to make the experience special. 

"He was the type of guy who came to work early, stayed late. Anything he could do for the residents was his top priority," Blaubach added.

Which is made clear by the laughs he's still sharing when he comes back to visit. 

"When I walk by them, Jerry! Jerry!" he said with a smile.

Chmielewski says the people here became like family. So, it's no surprise he had quite a retirement celebration. 

"He went out with a bang," Blaubach said with a laugh.

"We had five parties to say goodbye," Chmielewski added.

A sweet sendoff, for a man whose meals made every day better. 

"It's heartbreaking to say goodbye but it's also a very, very enjoyable experience that I've had," he said.

Now that he's retired, Jerry and his wife plan on doing some traveling.

But he'll be coming back to visit a lot -- not only the friends he's made. But his mom lives there, too. 

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].