Mother’s Day is Sunday and no one understands a mother’s influence better than Olivia, 23, and Eddie Oliver, 21, whose career paths were inspired by their mom, Angela Oliver.

The three Olivers all work at Riverside Health’s Sanders, a retirement community in Gloucester. Angela is the licensed practical nurse supervisor for Heron Cove 2 on the Sanders campus, Eddie is a certified nursing assistant and Olivia is the facility’s inventory clerk.

“He’ll be a nurse at the end of the year,” said Angela about Eddie.

“I’ve been a CNA for three years,” he said.

“He’s always wanted to be a nurse,” said Angela. “I kind of just decided in fourth grade,” said Eddie about his future career prospects. Growing up, Eddie saw the work that his mom was doing and said, “I could do that.”

“He started here in the kitchen,” said Angela. At 16, Eddie was working at Walmart when an opportunity arose for him to work at Sanders. He spent over a year in the kitchen at Sanders while completing his high school diploma at Gloucester High School and waiting to turn 18 so he could enroll in Riverside’s CNA program.

“I am pretty much known as ‘Eddie’s mom,’” said Angela, who has worked at Sanders since 2016.

Olivia has worked at Sanders for the past three years, keeping track of the community’s inventory, from cleaning products to medical supplies.

“She handles all of the supplies for the campus,” commented Angela.

Growing up, people would constantly tell Olivia that she should be a nurse like her mom. However, she always knew that was not the path for her. “I did not want to do that,” said Olivia. “Eddie’s got it.”

“She’s very good at what she does,” said Angela. “She’s my introvert.”

When her children first expressed interest in careers at Sanders, Angela was very firm with them. “You’re going to do your very best or you’re not going to do it,” she told them.

The Oliver siblings stepped right into their roles at Sanders, easing in with Angela’s help.

“I enjoy having them on campus with me,” said Angela.

Olivia and Eddie often visit their mom’s office for advice, a shared meal or a quick hello. This arrangement works out for Angela too, who calls on her children when she needs to fill a shift.

“You’re going to work, Eddie,” she will say to her son, who currently lives at home, when an employee calls out suddenly. “That has happened on many occasions. It works out for me in a pinch.”

This is also true of Olivia’s best friend, Alexis Tabb, who is also a CNA at Sanders. Angela knows she can also call on Alexis when needed.

“It’s just nice that Riverside allows us to work together,” said Angela.

Though, sometimes, having multiple family members working together can throw the schedule off-balance.

“They always complain when we take family vacation,” joked Angela. “Alexis goes with us.”

The Oliver siblings watched their mother in action at a different convalescent center while they were growing up.

“All my kids grew up in that building,” said Angela about her previous workplace. “They all grew up in this environment.”

Angela became a nurse in 1995, always knowing that would be her destiny. “I’ve always enjoyed taking care of people,” she said.

When she was a child, she helped take care of her grandfather who suffered from several chronic health problems. “I did a lot for him as a kid,” said Angela.

Looking to the future, she would like to stay at Sanders for the remainder of her career, helping the older adults who come into her care.

“I’ve always liked geriatrics,” said Angela. “I’ve been doing it for 25+ years. They’re a special population.”

After graduation, Eddie is considering making a pivot from retirement care to emergency and intensive care unit services, though Angela believes he would thrive in geriatrics.

“Eddie has a wonderful bedside manner,” she said. “He has the heart for it.”

Olivia holds a business degree from Bryant & Stratton College and hopes to further her career in hospital administration in the near future. “I’d like to stick with Riverside,” said Olivia.

Angela said the best part of working with her children is “just knowing where they are. It’s nice to be able to lay eyes on them whenever I want to.” In addition to her children, Angela also has a niece who works at Sanders as a night nurse.

“It really is a family affair for me on this campus,” she said.

Angela said she hopes that her children will grow and move up in their respective health care careers. Careers that stemmed from and were inspired by her.