Patricia Harrelson

At my brother Andy’s retirement party, someone asked him how long he had worked. “My whole life,” he replied.

It’s true! I remember Andy working diligently to pack the car for family trips to Twain Harte when he was 8 or 9. A few years later he was getting up early in the morning to go to work with my dad in dark and dingy theaters. He’s been in business for himself and worked for others, built his own home in part from salvaged materials he collected himself and invented improved methods for his most recent job at Modesto Irrigation District, the place from which he is officially retiring. There is no doubt Andy will continue to work for the rest of his life, but now he has the daily option to choose what he will work on and when.

It was a pleasure to celebrate Andy’s retirement with family and friends on a brisk December night in the lovely home that he and Connie have built and designed with such attention to detail. The cozy orange glow of this picture speaks to the warm celebratory evening. Welcome little brother to the next stage.