ANDERSON, S.C. — Forget retirement. Estella Williams is back on the job, doing what she loves best.
The 95-year-old school crossing guard in Anderson County, South Carolina, who retired after 25 years in March, had a change of heart and was at school orientation sessions on Wednesday, WYFF-TV reported.
“They were happy to see me come in,” Williams told the television station.
Williams has 18 children, 55 grandchildren, 84 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great-grandchildren, according to Southern Living. After three decades cleaning Michelin Tire facilities, Williams began working as a school crossing guard at Westside High School in Anderson at the age of 69, according to the magazine.
Williams was doing the school job as a short-term favor for her son-in-law, Butch Clinkscales, when he needed a temporary substitute, the Anderson Independent Mail reported. She stayed on the job for more than two decades.
“She was doing such a good job I said, ‘Well maybe she ought to stay at it,’” Clinkscales told the newspaper.
Williams was still on the job, even after her son-in-law retired.“I loved getting the kids across the road safely, and that most of the drivers and truckers were courteous and patient with me,” Williams told Southern Living.
Williams hung up her crossing guard vest and her gear had been put on display at the Anderson County Museum, according to WYFF.
She was honored by county and city officials after her retirement.
But after volunteering for Meals on Wheels, hospice and the Anderson VA Clinic, Williams yearned for her old job.
“I just got bored,” Williams told WYFF. “That wasn’t enough.”
Williams was given a new vest and returns to her old post on Tuesday, according to the television station.
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