June 30, 2000
After 30 years county worker to retire .... at 47
By Michelle Reiter
Staff Writer
Thirty years of fulfilling &emdash; and busy &emdash; years with the county have left Joanna Estep looking forward to a little time to herself.
Today, Estep, a Human Services caseworker, will be among the youngest employees to retire from the county at 47.
Beginning as a county recorder employee in 1970, Estep began her career at 17 years old, right after high school.
"I was just a scared kid starting out, and Mary Roller (the deputy recorder at the time]) helped me out a lot," she said.
Estep went on to work for 18 years in the county recorder's office before being laid off in March 1988. But Estep wasn't down for more than a month before she was hired at Human Services as a case worker, the job she has had for the last 12 years.
The change in career venues was profound, Estep said &emdash; especially in the people she worked with.
"It was really a culture shock," she said. "These were needy people, and I was in a position to really help people."
Estep's job was to help people determine eligibility and apply for county benefits.
She said one of the most important parts of her job, especially with the older people, was just listening.
"A lot of the people don't have anyone else to talk to, and they really want to tell you things," she said.
Many of the clients Estep works with have seen her every month for several years. She said she has established long-term relationships with several of them.
"One lady was telling me about problems she was having at home," Estep said. "She was feeling sick.
"I said, 'You need to go to the doctor. You shouldn't be driving around.' I called the doctor for her and she went."
Estep said that all the stress at home had contributed to the woman's condition, which turned out to be minor. She is still in contact with the woman and said her family problems and health have improved since then.
Estep said there have been other times that she has stepped out of bounds to help a client, as their needs sometimes exceeded what she could offer them within the limits of her job.
Most of the time, she said, she was more than happy to help whenever she could, but she also encountered people who lied to her in order to obtain eligibility. This was one of the most trying parts of her job as a case worker, she said.
In the end, she said it was worth it &emdash; but she is looking forward to her hard-won free time.
Her husband, Mike, a city engineer who also owns a private land surveying business, won't retire for at least three years, so the two are unable to make any mutual retirement plans at the moment. Of their three children, Angela, 21, Stephanie, 22, and Michael Jr., 15, two are in college and the youngest will be at home for a few years.
Estep said between the land surveying business and her family, she'll probably keep busy, at least until school starts again.
When her husband is off to work and son off to school, Estep said that's when she expects the reality of retirement to set in.
"After all of these years I've gotten used to being around people," she said. "When my son goes back to school, I'll be alone every day."
But not for long. Estep said she is thinking of volunteering with the elderly in the community, as they were the people she enjoyed working with the most at work.
"They were always so grateful for everything you'd do for them," she said. "And there's such a need in the community."