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  • Linda Lovin, center left, celebrated her upcoming retirement from Crossroads Community Hospital with family and friends at a reception on Thursday. Lovin, the supervisor of housekeeping, has worked for Crossroads for 31 years. CNHI

    Lovin
February 3, 2012

Lovin retires after 31 years of service

By RORYE O’CONNOR rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Staff at Crossroads Community Hospital celebrated Supervisor of Housekeeping Linda Lovin’s retirement after 31 years.

Lovin, whose last day will be Feb. 10, enjoyed gifts, cake and lots of hugs with family and friends during a party on Thursday.

Crossroads Chief Executive Officer Ed Cunningham said Lovin had been a fixture at Crossroads for as long as he could remember.

“This place is a wonderful place because of you,” he told Lovin. “You can tell how much you’re loved by how many people are here today. You will be missed sorely.”

Cunningham said Lovin had trained many employees at the hospital.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” he said.

Cunningham presented Lovin with a gift from all the staff at the hospital — a silver and glass table clock.

“Oh, how pretty!” Lovin exclaimed when she opened it. “I love it. I will think of everybody when I look at it.”

Lovin told several stories from her career keeping the hospital clean and orderly.

She said she had worked for Crossroads since before the hospital was open.

“When we first got here and there was so much dirt, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” she said. “Then we got it cleaned up and look at what we’ve accomplished. It’s wonderful.”

She said her coworker Charlie Bruce, the director of administrative services, had helped her through a lot in the years she’d worked at the hospital.

Bruce said they both have worked at Crossroads since its beginnings in Mt. Vernon.

“She was my boss,” he said. “She’s a great boss, very caring, and she’s always here and always willing to help anybody. She’s just a great person. She’ll be missed by all of us.”

Lovin said she would miss the hospital staff in return.

“You can’t find a better place to work,” she said. “It’s been 95 percent good times for me. I never had anybody not help me when I needed help. A lot of places you go, it’s not like that.”

Lovin said upon her retirement, she plans to renovate her home, and later she hopes to take several short trips. She said she, her daughter and her granddaughters have plans to vacation to Las Vegas or San Francisco.

She said she was overwhelmed by the show of support and friendship during the party.

“It goes to show what great people there are here,” she said. “It’s very family-oriented. If it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have been here for 31 years.”

Lovin said she was just grateful that she was able to see the hospital updated and renovated before her retirement.

“It’s going to be one of the finest hospitals in Southern Illinois,” she said.

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