A senior couple's heart for serving keeps them young

Irene and Andrew Katrinecz are two of the most familiar faces at HCA Florida Northside Hospital. Volunteers for nearly a decade, Andrew can be spotted most days in the emergency room helping patients check-in and Irene is usually filling up humanity closets with donated clothing.

The closets were Irene’s idea when she joined Northside Hospital. She asked if she could bring clothes for patients who may need them when they were discharged. She was granted a closet in the ER and today the project has grown to a closet on ALL three floors PLUS the ER.

The closets fall right in line with Irene’s background in retail — she was a statewide fragrance salesperson, and Andrew was a restaurant consultant. Their business sense has taken them in many directions — Andrew now writes books and has published five with one coming out later this year. Irene runs a Poshmark retail site with her daughter — setting up all the outfits, photographing and posting online.

Irene says she’s retired three times. Retail wasn’t her only business gig, she also worked as a practice manager for a physician. That’s how she met Andrew. He volunteered across the street at HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital, where he was president of the volunteer auxiliary.

The two have been married for 29 years and while they do stay busy, they also enjoy a little downtime. Going out to lunch is a way to relax, but Irene confesses they mostly talk about business.

“Andrew and I have never stopped,” she says. It seems to be their secret to staying so vibrant and healthy. At 72 and 80 the pair say they have to be involved in something. “Use your mind, use your hands,” says Irene; and maybe, just maybe, after talking to these two, you’ll also see their love and zest for serving, for helping others, and for giving back the way perhaps only seniors can — with a lifetime of experience to share.