Mount Pleasant Adventist Church Honors Walmart Retiree

MOUNT PLEASANT, TEX. – The Mount Pleasant Seventh-day Adventist Church honored member Bobbie Hayes with a retirement celebration this past summer. Hayes had worked at the local Walmart for 37 years.

She was 93 years old at the time of the celebration, July 16, 2023, but you wouldn’t know it. At 92, she was still climbing ladders to assist customers.

Hayes began working at Walmart in 1986 after moving to Mount Pleasant from Houston. Her previous job was in a plant nursery, so naturally, her first seven years were spent in Walmart’s garden center. When the new supercenter was built across the street in 1993, she moved with the company. Over the years, she worked in nearly every department except for deli and automotive. Through the years, her co-workers from the garden center would still track her down to answer customer questions about plants.

Hayes’ last and favorite job was being a greeter/security at the front door. She moved to this position just before the pandemic started. She loved talking with customers. Sometimes she prayed with them. Often, she would request prayers for customers and co-workers during church. Church members always looked forward to seeing her when they went shopping.

Even though she talked many times about retiring, she only got around to it last year. After a long illness in the winter, Hayes finally decided it was time to retire. 

Church members will miss her beautiful smile at Walmart’s front door, but they wish her congratulations on a job well done.

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By Julie Smith