The banner hanging in a hallway at Seymour-Redding Elementary School said it all: “We love you, Ms. Mindy. Thank you. We’ll miss you. Happy retirement.”
Mindy Stanfield, 67, began working for Seymour Community School Corp. in January 1982 as the receptionist at the administration building. She transferred to Redding Elementary in August 1987 with the official title of secretary (now called an administrative assistant). She has remained in the position until her retirement in January.
Stanfield graduated from Seymour High School in 1973 and went on to attend Indiana University for two years.
She said the student population at Redding has grown leaps and bounds since moving into the new building.
“When we moved to the new building, we couldn’t believe all the rooms we had, and a lot of the rooms sat empty, and now, we are bursting at the seams,” she said. “A lot of that has to do with so many more programs that have been implemented to help the students.”
When another administrative assistant, full-time nurse, social worker and assistant principal were added, she didn’t have to wear as many hats, Stanfield said.
“I enjoyed just seeing the kids every day and interacting with them,” she said. “It was fun having former students return to Redding with their children. The parents would say, ‘Miss Mindy took care of me when I was at Redding,’ and that always made me smile.”
Since her retirement, Stanfield said she misses seeing the kids and teachers and having the interaction with them on a daily basis, but she misses the office crew the most: Aaron Floyd, Ashley Murphy, Meredith Henry, Patti Terrell and Rhi Chandler.
“They are my second family, and they made going to work fun every single day,” she said. “I will probably never laugh as much on a daily basis as I did with this great group of people.”
Danielle Richey took over Stanfield’s position.
“We have similar personalities, so she fits right in,” Stanfield said. “You just need to always have a smile on your face and treat everyone who enters the building with kindness and respect. The front office sets the tone of the building.”
She said her last day was one she will always remember and cherish.
“The office was decorated and the cake table was set up in the office, so staff were in and out all day,” she said. “I came home with a lot of peanut M&M’s, my favorite.”
Michael Goodpaster, a computer technician at Redding and a former student, put together an awesome video, she said.
“My last walk through the halls was a wheelchair ride, pushed by our principal, Aaron Floyd,” Stanfield said. “The day was full of love and tons of laughter. I could not have asked for a better last day.”
She is enjoying retirement and has been doing a lot of reading, some traveling, exercise classes and walks in the morning.
“I hope to take some short trips to some destinations that have been on my bucket list,” Stanfield said.
Mindy’s husband is Steve Stanfield, and their family includes their son, Kyle Stanfield, his wife, Amy, and their kids, Izzy and Callen Stanfield, and daughter, Kelly, who is married to Kevin Webb.
Terrell, also an administrative assistant at Redding, said she has worked with Stanfield in the front office since 2014.
“She has been so much fun to work with. Her ability to run the front office was fantastic, and I enjoyed learning from her,” Terrell said. “I miss her but am so happy for her to enjoy her time in retirement.”
Brandi Musgrave, a fifth grade teacher at Redding, has worked with Stanfield since she began teaching 18 years ago after her family left their hometown and moved to Seymour.
“Over the years, I have witnessed her love and loyalty to all of the faculty and students at Redding Elementary,” Musgrave said. “She knows how to take charge and get things done, which is exactly what she did in the main office every day. On a personal note, she became my second mom, welcomed me and my family into hers and her friendship means the world to me.”
Henry, a social worker at Redding, said she has had the privilege of working alongside Stanfield at Redding for 14 years.
“Mindy actually takes the claim for getting me the job,” Henry said. “She contacted me when the position opened and said I should apply. I took her advice, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
She said Stanfield is the kind of person you want to have as a friend and coworker.
“She will do anything for you and welcome you into her life and family with open arms, and besides her friendship and awesome sense of humor, I admired her work ethic,” Henry said. “She rarely missed a day of school and worked so hard for our students and staff to make sure everything ran smoothly on a day-to-day basis because in all reality, we really know who runs things.”
Floyd said he had the opportunity to work with Stanfield for the past four and a half years and loved the spunk she brought to the office every day.
“We had a great celebration for her during that final week where we concluded by having her take one more trip around the building,” Floyd said. “We always joked about wheeling her out of the building, so it was only appropriate that this trip occurred with me pushing her around (in a wheelchair) so that our staff and students to give her a wonderful sendoff.”