When Loraine Maurer began working at McDonald's in the 1970s, she never imagined that what was meant to be a short-term plan would change her life forever.
After clocking in at Mickey D's for 44 years, the 94-year-old employee was recently honored for her hard work and positive attitude, according to Good Morning America. Her coworkers at the Evansville, Indiana fast-food restaurant celebrated Loraine's work anniversary with a big party, and as you can see in the video below, she certainly brightens everyone's day under those golden arches.
"Loraine has quite a following. That's to say the least, really," Katie Kenworthy, who owns the restaurant where Loraine currently works, told ABC News. "She has lots of very loyal costumers who come especially to our restaurant to see her."
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Back in 1973, Loraine began working at McDonald's after her husband retired due to a disability. "When I started, I didn't start to stay," Loraine told ABC News. "I told him we were too young to stay at home and so I went for a job."
While she enjoys eating a Filet-o-Fish sandwich during almost every shift, it's the people that ultimately won Loraine over, leading her to stick with the job for decades, especially after her husband passed away in 1980. "They were my live savers when I lost my husband," she said. "The customers helped."
The committed employee, who has four children, six grandchildren, and seven great-children, knows how to make customers feel special, whether it's having their orders prepared before they come in every day or simply giving them a hug. Even though Loraine has worked at multiple locations over the years, some customers are even willing to travel across town to see her smile.
"My customers make my life," she told People. "I have traveled with them, gone to ball games with them. They're friends, not just customers."
Every year, Loraine says she thinks about retiring, but she feels like she would "miss it too much." She currently works two days per week. "I really and truly enjoy it," Maurer told ABC News. "Life is what you make it. And so I'm trying."
(h/t Good Morning America)
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