After more than 70 years of nursing, Alice Graber, the oldest nurse in South Dakota, has retired, according to The Daily Republic.
Ms. Graber's final post was at the Salem Mennonite Home in Freeman, S.D., where she worked for more than 20 years. Though she's retired, Ms. Graber continues to serve patients by delivering food to the home.
Shirley Knodel, RN, was trained by Ms. Graber when they both worked at the former Freeman Community Hospital, which is now called the Freeman Healthcare Center. Ms. Knodel now directs nursing at the Salem Mennonite Home and helped organize Ms. Graber's retirement party. According to the Republic, Ms. Knodel described Ms. Graber as being full of energy and ever-willing to help in any way she could.
The retirement party displayed the impact of Ms. Graber's nursing career. In attendance were adults Ms. Graber had help deliver as newborns and former patients from both the Mennonite home and other facilities she once worked at.
Ms. Knodel said, "How many of us would have 150 people in a small town come to our retirement party?"
In 2015, Ms. Graber received the 2015 Millie of the Year award, a recognition bestowed by the South Dakota Healthcare Association to honor individuals working in long-term care facilities.