Alice's employee story: What retirement?

Alice lived a very full life before she even started her employee story at Miracle-Ear. In 1954 she and her husband Frank moved to Milan, OH and started a lumber business. Years later they started a second business building homes. Alice spent much of her time during these years raising their daughters, Judy and Linda. But she was also very involved in the businesses: doing office work, getting her realtor’s license and decorating and selling the homes that Frank built.

After building houses for years, Alice and Frank started one last business together: antiques. After 25 years of buying and selling antique furniture with their close friends Bob and Joan, Alice and Frank decided it was time to retire.

One day Alice went with Frank to his appointment at Miracle-Ear in Sandusky, OH to have his hearing aids adjusted. She was chatting with Hearing Instrument Specialist, and now owner, Sandy Reyes and mentioned that she didn’t know what she was going to do with herself now that they were retired. The next day, Alice was surprised to receive a phone call from Sandy offering her a job two days a month in customer service. Alice gladly accepted.

Over the years, Alice increased her time at Miracle-Ear and for two years she even worked full-time…starting at age 78! She now works two days a week and finds purpose in her work. It also allows her to see her friends and make new acquaintances. “I enjoy meeting people and interacting with them,” she said. “I come from an ambitious family. We have to be doing something. I can’t just sit here. You can have only so many embroidered towels.”

Alice shows no sign of slowing down. In addition to pursuing her Miracle-Ear employee story, Alice still drives, cooks, runs her own errands and continues to make new friends. She’s full of energy and is enjoying life with her daughters, grandson and great-grandsons. When asked the secret to aging successfully, she says “You have to stay interested in life.”