Zabel retires from 45-year county career
‘You had to be ready to go,’ he said of his work for Webster Co.By EMILIE NELSON, Messenger staff writer
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It takes time and dedication to be willing to answer the call to go to work at 2 a.m. on a snowy Iowa morning - especially for 19 out of the past 45 years.
For Jerald Zabel, taking telephone calls for various road-related issues 24 hours a day was an important part of his job as the District 1 Foreman with the Webster County Road Department, a position he had held since 1990. Zabel retired on Dec. 26, after 45 years as a county employee. Prior to taking the position as foreman, Zabel ran snow blade equipment for 27 years.
"You had to be ready to go," Zabel said of the early mornings he spent checking road conditions throughout the county. "We'd check the roads at 2 a.m. so we could call in the crews by 3 a.m. They had to have an hour's notice to get to work, and roads needed to be cleared by 5 a.m."
Family members, as well as friends and acquaintances made on the job over the years, gathered at the Webster County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon to honor Zabel with a retirement party.
"He's always been a dedicated and reliable man," said Webster County Engineer Randy Will, of Zabel. "He'd be out from 4 a.m. until 6 p.m. making sure snow was cleared in the winter some days. He'd always make sure the job was done."
Zabel echoed with praise for Will, his supervisor since 2002.
"Randy's been so good to work for," Zabel said. "He's been a great boss and a great leader, really made the job enjoyable."
Besides checking road conditions in the winter, a number of other responsibilities came with the job. Taking calls from law enforcement officials, cutting brush along highways, and removing debris from roadways were common during the spring, summer and fall months.
"Storm clean-up was always a big job," Zabel said. "If there were trees down, we'd take care of it. It could take days to clean after storms.
Having become friends with a number of local law enforcement, telephone and electrical employees over the years, a common question asked as Zabel greeted guests was, "We'll still see you at coffee, right?"
Zabel also worked with telephone, power and rural water companies to keep them up to date anytime digging was required with a project.
"He has been a wonderful employee," Will said. "I know his job could be stressful, it took a lot of thinking and planning ahead."
Although retired from the county, Zabel continues to farm in the Duncombe area.
"I'm 68 years old," he said. "It's been a good 45 years. Not many people stay at a job for that long."
Contact Emilie Nelson at 573-2141 or enelson@messengernews.net
