New Castle County's longest-serving crossing guard retires after 51 years
New Castle, DE (CBS) -- Meet an 82-year-old woman who's about to give up her day job for good. Delores Neveras has been protecting children in Delaware for more than five decades.
That makes her the longest-serving crossing guard in New Castle County history.
It's a bittersweet moment for the 82-year-old crossing guard.
"I feel like, after 51 years, I'm ready," Neveras said.
Neveras was hired as a New Castle County crossing guard in 1971, when her youngest child was in first grade.
She guided her children and many others to school, but even after her kids graduated, she stayed on the job.
"I like the kids. I like the parents, I like the school, the teachers," Neveras said.
Now, the community is coming together to say thank you.
"She's a great worker. She shows up every day. She's going to be hard to replace," Domenick Gregory III, the Supervisor of New Castle County Crossing Guards.
County leaders and law enforcement held a surprise retirement ceremony for Neveras on Tuesday.
A gesture of gratitude for keeping generations of kids safe.
"There are probably countless adults who are out there who are safe and dare I say, maybe some who are alive today, because of her decades of service," Matt Meyer, the New Castle County Executive, said. "You hear less ambulances because of the work of Delores."
To show their appreciation, school bus drivers honked as they pulled out of Castle Hills Elementary School.
As for what Neveras plans to do in retirement?
"I'm going to sleep in in the morning. And I'm going to do whatever I want to do," Neveras said.
Nevares says she looks forward to going to the beach this summer and spending more time with her grandchildren.
