One job for 64 years - cleaning at Ipswich State Bank

(Written by Gary Wietgrefe, an old family friend.)

Gladys Rohrbach has cleaned the Ipswich State Bank for nearly 64 years and counting. The octogenarian is not letting dirt get in her way.

When visiting Gladys a couple years ago, she looked at the clock and said, "I have to go clean the bank."

Curious, that followed with a question, "How long have you been cleaning the bank?"

Gladys quietly replied, "Oh, I don't know."

"Has it been over sixty years?"

"Oh, I suppose. Actually, I remember I was pregnant with Donna and I was cleaning there."

Donna's Social Security age.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American worker stays at an employer for 4.1 years. However, the median tenure for service workers is only 2.0 years.

What would be the average if Glady's years were excluded?

Ipswich State Bank has been servicing the area since 1938. Since Gladys started cleaning there, the bank has had a long list of officers employing her, including: Herb Crissman, Stu Holdhusen, Roy Lippert, Clara Blank, Betsy Holdhusen, Tom Holdhusen, Linda Gisi, Cornie Bender, Joe Gauer, Kathy Adam, Dave Williams, Judy Steen, Shirley Williams, Robbie Williams, and many, many other employees.

Shirley Williams, who started at the bank in 1983, said, "I have known Gladys for over 40 years. She has been a very loyal, dedicated, hardworking employee. She is like family to us."

U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the average American misses four workdays per year. Workdays missed increases with age. For example, women 45-64 missed an average of 5.5 days per year.

Not Gladys!

Shirley went on to explain that Gladys never misses a day of cleaning. In bad weather, Vernon made sure she made it to clean. Gladys does all areas of the bank with great expertise.

The average American retires at 61. Gladys has cleaned the Ipswich State Bank longer than that! It is a good example of a local business employing someone local to support their business.

Around October 1960, a neighbor, Clemintine "Clem" Gabriel, was cleaning the Ipswich bank. Busy and needing some help, she offered to split her bank-cleaning wage, fifty-cents/hour, with Gladys.

A quarter-per-hour doesn't sound like much, but back then it helped supplement her husband, Vernon's, wage as a mechanic.

Eventually, when Clem took other jobs, Gladys was able to double her pay as the only cleaning staff at Ipswich State Bank.

Diligently, for nearly 64 years Glady has continued to clean the bank each day.

Gladys will turn 86 on May 11. Maybe her cake should have 64 candles-one for each work-year.