Thursday, October 8, 2009

Happy Retirement Donny Ray!

Last Tuesday I attended the retirement party for Donny Ray, Blount County Revenue Commissioner. I worked for Donny at the courthouse from the time that I graduated from high school until I moved to Huntsville and got a "real job." Donny let me work as many (or as few...haha) as I needed/wanted to and it was the absolute best work environment!!! No college student has EVER had a better gig! :) Donny was the BEST to work for! He has been with Blount County for 26 years and during the past election decided to not seek another term as Revenue Commissioner. He decided it was time for another chapter and so it begins.

God puts special people in your life and he did that for me with Donny! Donny has influenced me in more ways than he will ever know! He was more than just a boss to me and I can only hope that my employees feel that way about me! In the last 10 years Donny and his wife Kristie have become close friends and I love them dearly!

Happy Retirement Donny!

2 comments:

bamascrapper said...

Donny was a wonderful boss, but more especially, he is a friend, a good friend. There are VERY few people in the world that have been blessed like we were to have him as a boss. He is very compassionate and caring. He treated all of us with respect and love. He understood (being the boss of a bunch of women) that sick kids and family came first. He often showed his appreciation for us. It is difficult to be a boss and a friend to your employees, but he did it. We all love him and miss him very much! We wish Donny the best! Some people say Donny's place will be hard to fill, but Donny can't be replaced. We are just making room in our hearts for our new boss, Chris Green. And once again, we have been blessed to have a new boss that is caring and kind.

Donny said...

Nicole,

That has got to be the sweetest thing you have ever said about me! Are you smokin' crack!!! That really was nice of you to say, and I want you to know that I have never enjoyed a "part-time" "sometime" "anytime" employee like I did you. In fact, I carried home some priceless time cards from back in the day when we (ya'll) punched a clock. (Marcelle made me do the clock thing remember?) Some weeks you would claim Holiday Pay when you didn't work the entire week!! LOL!! I love you and your family very much, and I have missed seeing you even though I hope that is about to change with our job change to Huntsville. You carryin' me to lunch next week? I miss the office very badly....I stopped by today, and it was weird. But your mom was the greatest "Executive Assistant" ever, and you know how much I love my other "favorites".
Wendy.....you are very sweet to say what you said above. Of course I'll always owe you, being part of my "first hired" trio!!! Thank you for always doing things professionally and most of all for being my friend. (and #1 photographer)
Nicole.....Tell Rob and your "kids" hello (or 'sit'....'rollover'....) whatever they're into!
See you Soon!!!