Nearly 100 retiring teachers, administrators and support staff have worked their last days at Amphi, Flowing Wells and Marana school districts, but probably only one has to pack up a cow collection.
Known widely around the district for her love of all things cow, Marana Unified School District employee Mary Davis will retire after 31 years.
Her last day as district cashier for the Financial Services Department is June 30.
"The Marana school district is such a close-knit family environment," she said. "I'm going to miss my MUSD family."
Her colleagues threw her a retirement party earlier this month.
"She loves cows. That's her thing. So we did a whole theme of cows and decorated," said Kim Bellew, business manager in the Financial Services Department. "That's what we wanted for her to show her our appreciation for everything she's done for us and the schools.
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"She's fun to work with. She's always a pleasure."
Davis' collection of cows, which includes candy jars, stuffed cows and clocks, has occupied every spare inch of her office since she took the position of district cashier in 2002.
Her boss, Chief Financial Officer Dan Contorno, was an elementary school student at Marana Elementary School when Davis was hired by Marjorie Estes on Aug. 16, 1978, as a teacher's aide at the school, which is now Marjorie W. Estes Elementary School.
Contorno doesn't remember Davis as a teacher's aide at his elementary school, but he has enjoyed working with her in his adulthood.
"Sometimes you're blessed with employees that are that dedicated and we were lucky enough to have her for 31 years," Contorno said.
Davis, 59, is among the 30 teachers, administrators and support staff retiring from Marana this year.
Sixty employees will retire from the Amphitheater Public Schools district and nine will retire from Flowing Wells Unified School District.
Other positions Davis has held for the last 31 years include teacher's aide at Butterfield Elementary School, library aide at Tortolita Middle School and attendance clerk at Mountain View High School.
She can't pick a favorite job title.
"Each time I changed jobs, I was ready for something different and I grew in different directions," she said. "I moved into each position and enjoyed it while I was there."
Davis hasn't yet decided how she will take to retirement.
"One of the things about retirement is you don't have to have a plan for the day," she said.
She does know she will return to the district as a volunteer: Her grandson attends Estes Elementary School.
Other MUSD retirees
Employees who are retiring with more than 25 years of service to the Marana Unified School DIstrict:
• Bus driver Juanita Carbajal
• Butterfield music teacher Gloria Day
• Bus driver Karen Figueroa
• Director of Student Services Jo Ann Gelormine
• Tortolita science teacher Richard Heilman
• Marana High School teacher Kevin Korte
• Marana High math teacher Curtis Lybeck
• Mountain View lead custodian George Slape
• Mountain View associate Principal Susan Sloan
• DeGrazia fifth-grade teacher Daniel Smith
