County commissioners honor Christine Maroules with proclamation for 100th birthday

The Lenoir County Commissioners, during their February 5 meeting, issued a proclamation honoring Christine Maroules who will celebrate her 100th birthday on February 8. 

Mrs. Maroules grew up in Lenoir County, attended nursing school in Richmond, VA., from 1947-1950. Her first employment as a nurse was at Parrott Hospital working with Dr. Sabiston, he was Frank and Walter Sabiston’s father. She had planned to join the Air Force, but met Big Chris and they were married in 1951. Her next position was with Dupont-she worked with 2 doctors and a radiologist there, made home visits to the employees who called in sick. When she became pregnant in 1954 with her first child, little Chris, she took a position in the Operating Room at Lenoir Memorial Hospital. There she trained the first group of Operating Room Technicians in Eastern North Carolina. She left the Operating Room in 1962 after having her second child, Christy. She took a position at the Lenoir County Health Department and a cut in pay of $100 a month to have more time with her children. After 10 years as a Public Health Nurse, she was named Nursing Supervisor, 6 years later on July 1, 1978, she was named Nursing Director, and 2 years later on April 1, 1980, she was named Health Director upon the retirement of Dr. John Parrott. During her time at the Health Department, Chris paved the way for 4 of the nurses there to go on to become nurse practitioners as well as encouraging other staff members to continue their educations and assume more advanced positions within the Health Department. She also oversaw the move from the Health Department’s location on Rhodes Ave to where it is now on McLewean St., that combined 3 locations into one. Chris retired as Health Director in June of 1990, having served the citizens of Lenoir County for 28 years!

Attending the meeting to honor Mrs. Maroules were 7 current and former employees of the Health Department who worked in various capacities while Mrs. Maroules was Health Director. All agreed it was a privilege to work for Chris, as she was fondly known as. Her employees found her to be both a mentor and a friend…and a boss when she needed to be …or when they forced her to be! She was fair, firm, and sometimes demanding. But through it all, compassionate and caring for both her staff and the citizens she served. June Cummings, County Commissioner, spoke very appreciatively of Chris’s mentorship when she was named Director of Mental Health Services in Lenoir County years ago.

Mrs. Maroules will celebrate her birthday on Monday, February 9, at Cypress Glen Retirement Home. Over 60 of her former employees, family and friends are expected to be there. Her daughter Christy will be there, while her son, little Chris, is in Florida. 

Mrs. Maroules’ husband, Christopher Maroules, operated Christopher’s Restaurant on Queen St. in Kinston for many years before his passing.

The County Commissioners expressed their gratitude for Mrs. Maroules’ leadership, community efforts, and service to the citizens of our community as stated in the proclamation honoring her.