Retirement never held any appeal to Velda Rivenburg. The 86-year-old started working for Enid Public Schools in 1974, first as a volunteer, then as a crossing guard, then as a teacher’s aide, and then as a paraprofessional in a special needs classroom for the last 12 years.
May 23 marked her last day at Waller Middle School, and her last day with the district.
“This is not what I planned,” she told the Enid News & Eagle. Her body seems ready to retire, but she isn’t, she said, never expected she’d have to. “Nor did I ever think I’d live this long.
“I never ever thought about it, I just kept on plugging along,” she said.
Family, friends and colleagues put together a surprise party for her. There was cake, handwritten cards from students and a custom-made trophy presented to commemorate all her time and dedication to Enid’s children.
“We couldn’t find a trophy big enough, but we tried,” retired Hoover Elementary School Principal Karen Heizer said.