After 22 years of serving local children as an employee at Methodist Daycare in Appomattox, Mildred Cyrus has retired at age 88. On Thursday, co-workers and family members held a retirement party in her honor.

Cyrus was born in North Carolina but raised in Appomattox, where she worked for 45 years as a seamstress at the former Appomattox Garment Factory, later known as Courtland Manufacturing, until the plant closed permanently. She was also employed several years at the former Evergreen Country Store before coming to Methodist Daycare in June of 2002.

Cyrus, who has been working since she was 15 years old, sometimes seven days per week while carrying several jobs, wanted to continue working and “needed the work” as she said while explaining why she started at Methodist Daycare.

“I just need to keep on working because I just couldn’t quit and go home and sit down,” Cyrus said. “We never made a lot of money…I’ve raised three children and we always had plenty of everything — plenty to eat, a roof over our heads — so I don’t think we wanted for anything.”

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