BWWMH bids farewell to Rembert after 46 years
Lois Rembert punctuated her 46-year nursing tenure with Bryan W. Whitefield Memorial Hospital Wednesday by uttering two very simple words.
“Thank you,” she told the crowd of more than 60 people gathered in the classroom of BWWMH.
The group came together to show its appreciation for Rembert’s dedicated service to the hospital and its surrounding community, service that began Oct. 24, 1966. The reception, which began at 3:15 Wednesday afternoon, had to be held later in the day because its honoree was determined to finish her last shift and file her last report before accepting any recognition.
Rembert’s expression of gratitude to the individuals that populated the room Wednesday capped an 18-second speech that displayed the humility with which she went about her daily tasks at BWWMH.
“I want to say thank you to all the Bryan Whitfield family and to my family for coming,” Rembert told the group in attendance. “I appreciate everything you all have done for me, all the support you have given me all these years. And I have enjoyed working here. Thank you.”
The occasion opened with a tearful speech from Mike Marshall.
“When Miss Lois started here, I was four years old. Medicare was three months old,” Marshall observed.
The Bryan W. Whitfield leader would later note that the goal of most every worker is to leave a place in better condition than when he or she arriv
Lois Rembert fills out her final report before heading to her retirement reception Wednesday. Rembert retired from BWWMH exactly 46 years after beginning her service to the hospital.
ed.
“It’s very safe to say that our place is better because of Lois,” Marshall said.
As he prepared to wrap up his address, Marshall referenced a quote from Maya Angelou, pointing to the sentiment as the perfect characterization for Rembert’s impact on the BWWMH family.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Following the presentation, Rembert moved around the room deliberately, sharing hugs and handshakes with many of the visitors and hospital personnel. Her exit from the hospital proved much the same as her 46 years of service to it: patient, thoughtful and in no rush to see it all end.
Rembert will be honored again by the hospital at a later date when the facility posts a bronze plaque bearing her likeness.