SILVERHILL, Ala. — Silverhill Town Clerk Bonnie McNeil can’t wait to retire.

It’s not because she doesn’t love her job.

“I’m going to miss the routine,” she said. “I’m going to miss the schedule.”

And it’s not because she doesn’t love the people she works with.

“I’m going to miss coming to work and seeing people every day,” she said.

No, McNeil has other reasons, six of them to be exact.

Their names are Cole, age 14; Austin, age 11; Ben, age 10; Colin, age 6; and 3-year-old twins, Maggie and Olivia. They are her grandchildren and McNeil is retiring a full two months early so she can spend more time with them.

“I’m turning 65 in August,” she admits, “but we (she and her husband Roy) decided that I would retire at the beginning of the summer while they are out of school.”

A native of Wisconsin, McNeil moved to Semmes with her family at age 14 when her father was transferred to Mobile with Scott Paper Company.

After graduating from Semmes High School (now Mary G. Montgomery), she went to beauty school and worked at a beauty shop.

After marrying Roy McNeil Jr., who also worked at Scott Paper Company until his retirement in 1991, McNeil quit work following the birth of her first child, Roy McNeil III.

The young family would move to Spanish Fort, where a second son, Walter, was born. They moved to Silverhill in 1972, where a third son, Andrew, was born.

When the three boys were old enough to start school, Bonnie decided to return to work and got a job with People’s Supply, staying until the company closed in 1985.

From there she went to Hammond’s Grocery Store in Robertsdale, where she worked until the store became Greer’s. From there she went to Citizens’ Bank in Loxley.

In 1990, longtime Silverhill town clerk Elanor Byrd passed away and Diane Lorez was promoted to clerk. McNeil stepped in to fill the vacancy. Then when Lorez took another job in 1995, McNeil stepped in as clerk.

“People’s Supply was a place where a lot of people met, so you got to see a lot of people,” McNeil said. “Working with the town is a lot like that. I’ve seen a lot of changes, met a lot of wonderful people and formed a lot of good friendships through the years.”

Working with the public has allowed her to grow as a person also, McNeil said.

“You meet so many good people with so many good qualities that you learn to use in your every day life,” she said.

At its meeting Monday, May 18, the town appointed Pat Bankester as the new town clerk and, after a year of training in the position, McNeil said she feels Bankester is ready to step in and fill her shoes.

“She has gotten to experience everything,” McNeil said. “We’ve gone through an election and pretty much everything she will face in the position, so I think she will do a fine job.”

As far as her future plans, beyond spending more time with her children and grandchildren, McNeil said she wants to take some time to settle in before she decides on that.

“I’d like to spend more time in the yard, but that’s about it,” she said.

A reception for McNeil will be held on Sunday, May 31 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Little Hall in Silverhill. All are welcome.