After 41 years of service, long time Dankmeyer team member Barbara DeLorenzo retired in March 2026. We held a reception for her to celebrate her contributions to Dankmeyer and the communities we serve. Attended by co-workers, other business colleagues and family members, we shared food and drink and stories about her 41 years’ experience. In her time at Dankmeyer Barbara has seen a lot of changes in prosthetics and orthotics. We asked Barbara to share her story here.
When I applied for a job as bookkeeper at Dankmeyer Inc. in 1985, I never imagined that I would be retiring from Dankmeyer almost 41 years later. I worked several different types of jobs prior to arriving at Dankmeyer. I was trained as a Dental Assistant, worked as a clerk in a gift shop and at a department store. I was a bookkeeper for a chemical company and the owner of a gift shop. But my favorite career was working at three radio stations. I enjoyed meeting all kinds of people, being in the know about what was happening in the world and in the little towns where I was broadcasting. I was an on-air personality, interviewed individuals and wrote local news, sold advertising, and wrote and recorded radio ads. I even dressed up as an Easter Bunny one year and handed out bumper stickers on a street corner. I was able to use my voice, creativity and be funny!
The day that I interviewed for the job at Dankmeyer, I was offered a job at a radio station in Baltimore, but decided that as the mom of a 5-year old, I needed a job that did not require the possibility of working nights, weekends and holidays. I was looking for a stable job with mom-friendly hours. Being a bookkeeper was easy for me as I am detailed oriented and good at math. After my job interview, I walked away knowing that the job at Dankmeyer would be perfect for me. The company had been in business for over 30 years, was family owned, and they cared about their patients and employees. When I got the job, I was thrilled and figured I could always get back into radio at a later time. On my first day on the job, I got to witness firsthand how well the staff related to each other like family and I witnessed how much they cared about the patients.
I met Joe DeLorenzo my first day at Dankmeyer. He was my go-to person when I had questions about suppliers, parts, invoices, and timecards. Joe was a technician and fabricated prostheses, along with doing purchasing. I learned a lot about prostheses and braces by watching the technicians make the devices for our patients. When I had questions, Joe was willing to explain parts and processes to me so I could understand how we made those arms, legs and braces. Four years later, Joe and I were married. We worked together at Dankmeyer for over 39 years before Joe retired. Now we will be enjoying our retirement together.
When I came to Dankmeyer, the office was located at 2010 Maryland Avenue, just north of North Avenue in downtown Baltimore. The office moved to Linthicum in December 1994. I remember the big move to a new location, the packing up of everything in the building and then the unpacking in our brand new, much bigger space.
As the bookkeeper in 1985, my work was done by pencil and paper. Patient accounts were kept in a large ledger book with a page for each patient. Notes about the patient visit and the list of components were handwritten by the practitioner, then cut and stapled into the patient file. There was a brown paper file for each patient. Over the years as we embraced technology, the notes were then typed on a computer and put into the file and eventually we moved to an EMR – Electronic Medical Record system. The bookkeeping tasks also changed with the times and reports and records became digital. A lot of the components and processes that were used in the making of arms, legs and braces have also changed over the years. When I came to Dankmeyer, some of the legs were made out of wood. No one would have even imagined parts made on a 3D printer!
Although much has changed in my 41 years at Dankmeyer, a lot has stayed the same. Dankmeyer still makes artificial limbs and braces. Dankmeyer is a good place to work, with kind and compassionate employees who care about each other and our patients. I am so glad that I am a part of the Dankmeyer family and to have worked for a great company.
Barbara is an avid gardener and also a crafter who is going to have more time to work in her gardens and crafting space. She and Joe have also hinted at some future travel, as their daughter and grandchildren are not local. We will miss her expertise and her unfailing kindness to everyone she met. She’s on speed dial, so we know we can rely on her for feedback when we need it! Thank you, Barbara for all your hard work and devotion. Enjoy your retirement!