Catch Diane Harris and Ruthie Reutlinger-Dudley in a rare down moment, and you’ll likely find the Suburban Hospital nurses ooh-ing and ahh-ing over photos of their grandchildren.

The two, along with Karen Sgueo and Ruthie Sokolove, have forged deep bonds while working together in the preoperative care unit, where they make sure each patient is ready for the operating room.

In a hospital with about 1,800 employees, including some 600 nurses, friendships flourish in every unit. But these nurses are unusual because they’ve known each other for decades. Together, they share 147 years of Suburban Hospital nursing experience, seven grandchildren, at least 15 holiday parties and hours of conversations.  

“We’ve been through deaths, births, weddings—all the major life events,” says Reutlinger-Dudley, whose mother, Juanita Reutlinger, was also a Suburban Hospital nurse.

Sgueo, 66, is Suburban’s longest-serving nurse; she donned a jaunty cap and starched white miniskirt for her first day of work in 1970. Reutlinger-Dudley, 62, boasts 41 years on the job. Sokolove, 65, clocks in at 35. Harris, 61, joined the staff 25 years ago.

The four laugh easily, tease freely, kiss cheeks and pat shoulders. Their conversation gets even more animated as they describe an annual holiday party for the 10 nurses and three technicians in their unit. Reutlinger-Dudley, known as Ruthie D., mixes her famous cosmos. Sokolove’s husband cooks the brisket, even though he, like other spouses, is not invited.  

The friendships are solid things, built over time. Hard work, shared jokes and fond memories are the bricks. The mortar forms when these women lean on each other, like when a parent dies or a relative needs surgery.  

The worst was when Harris’ son died. Some people stayed away, unsure what to say or do. Not Sgueo, who had lost her son to a heart condition when he was 6. \ “That same day, Karen showed up at my front door with a basket of fresh muffins,” says Harris, her eyes blurring. The two grab each other’s hands as they remember.

“We’ve built a community,” says Sokolove, unit manager and the only full-timer of the four. “We know we can count on each other through thick and thin.”