Closing the books one last time

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After 37 years and eight months of working for Moody County, Gail Meyer-Deelstra will retire at the end of the month.

She first started in the treasurer’s office as a “green thumber,” who through a state program and worked to helped people find jobs.

While doing this, a position became open in the treasurer’s office, she applied and got the job. For 21 years, she worked in that office, also helping out in the auditor’s office when needed.

Meyer-Deelstra has been the Moody County Register of Deeds for the past 16 years.

She said, without hesitation, the biggest change she’s seen in the past 37 years is computers and all the new computer programs in the office.

In the treasurer’s office, before computers, she said they had always hand-typed the car registrations in the county and would help the auditor type up all the tax slips.

The Register of Deeds office has also cut back significantly on a lot of their books once the state began to make records more computerized. She said they started scanning documents and going paperless in 2003.

Meyer-Deelstra said once retired she’ll miss the people she works with and sees comes through her office every day.

While she has no major plans for her retirement yet, she said for the first week at least, she’s going to wake up when she wants to and drink coffee on her deck.

She will also help out a bit in her husband’s office, Big Al’s Contracting, who recently completed the revamp of the sheriff’s office sidewalk in Flandreau.

She said she likes to quilt, and will plan to get the weeds out of her garden and fix up her flower beds.

A retirement party for Meyer-Deelstra hosted by the Moody County commissioners and employees will be today, September 27, from 2-4 p.m. in the Farmer’s Room at the courthouse.