Introducing Viola Cargill of Bartlett Arms

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.

Her advice for youth is simple and straightforward: “Go to
school, get a trade, so you won’t be on the streets. Get an education
at a trade school or college, so you will be self-sufficient.”