About Loretto.
Loretto D. Desjardins, 72, a McLean entrepreneur who founded and operated Clean, Inc, and Trash Away, Inc. died Monday, February 7 at Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ following the rupture of a cerebral aneurysm.
Ms. Desjardins was born and grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Her mother, Hazel, was a reading educator and her father, Zephyr, the Chief of Police. At sixteen, she entered the religious order of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in Adrian, Michigan where she was known as Sister Patrick James. After a few years, because of health reasons, she left the convent, but remained strongly committed to this early religious training.
She briefly attended Wayne State University and then moved to California where she met and married Daniel Levitan. Here, while working with a master designer, she learned the art of interior home design, acquiring an instilled sense of balance and proportion. After her divorce from Mr. Levitan, she moved to the Washington area where she joined the Levittown organization, decorating the interior of Levitt models. For millions of GI’s returning home from service in World War II, these homes became the greatest housing attractions for the growing new expanding family life style. In her work as an interior decorator, she envisioned the opportunity for a new service business – the cleaning and maintenance of model homes. In 1969, with $180 vacation pay and a mop and a bucket, she founded her first business, Hazel Cleans, named in honor of her mother.
Through astute business sense her company soon expanded to provide other services, such as landscaping and snow removal. In 1970’s, Ms. Desjardins’ cleaning services expanded to include the emerging condominium market in the metropolitan area, continuing to provide high quality service to her clients. As her reputation grew so did her business.
In 1989, Loretto Desjardins was joined by Lee Gigliotti and the two women incorporated the business entitled Clean, Inc. The high quality customer service became the foundation of an organization that now services over 100 prestigious addresses in the metropolitan area.
Nine years later, the partners Lee and Loretto along with Loretto’s late brother, Patrick, created another company entitled Trash Away, Inc. Utilizing their same quality driven service model, Trash Away became a companion trash removal and recycling service to Clean Inc. Together both companies provided outstanding services for numerous residential properties. Trash Away, Inc. also acquired a substantial presence in the Home Owner Association segment of residential communities.
Ms. Desjardins’ vision, sense of humor, integrity and character were always well integrated into the business of these two companies. She fortunately was also rewarded by an extremely loyal staff. She enjoyed the highest clientele satisfaction as reflected in consistent client retention. In part this was due to her unique sensitivity to other people’s needs, plus her desire and concern for integrity. In addition to her concern for her businesses, and her enjoyment of her involvement with these efforts, Loretto also loved to read and go to the opera.
Family involvement also was extremely important to her. She nurtured three wonderful children, Vanessa, Gabriel, and Lauren. In addition to her life partner and business partner, Lee Gigliotti, she is survived by her sister, Mary Lounder, three nieces, three nephews and seven great nieces and nephews and a host of friends, business associates and colleagues.