ENC employee honored for 70 years of service

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) -

A business in the East took the time today to honor the hard work and dedication of an employee who has worked with the company for the past seven decades.

Edgecombe Furniture has designated May 19th as “George Smith Day.”

George Smith is 87 years old and started working at Edgecombe Furniture at its original location in Pinetops in 1953.

Born in 1936, Smith grew up on his parent’s farm with five brothers and three sisters. Smith said he remembers how his career in the furniture business all started in the first place.

“One year I was planting tobacco and it was so hot...And I said this stuff is killing me...I got to find me a job that I would be out of this hot sunshine, and I could still make a living” says Smith.

Smith says he quickly went from working in upholstery to being paid by the company to fix sewing machines, saying after that he realized he actually enjoyed the job and has never wanted to do anything else.

Smith’s daughter Georgia says she and her father joke that fixing sewing machines is a saving grace as a twice-widowed man.

“He’s like I don’t need to get married again I’ve got all these wonderful women...So anyway, umm it means a lot to him to keep them going for them and just to be here every day knowing he has a purpose and he has somewhere to go that he feels like he’s making a difference in somebody else’s life” says Flora.

Smith says he loves his job and spending time with his coworkers every day.

Smith says even though he is 87 years young, he loves his job and spending time with his coworkers every day and he doesn’t plan on quitting any time soon.

“I’m operating on god’s strength, I really am...and I enjoy my work, I enjoy every day...yesterday’s gone, today is here and tomorrow is not promised to me and I try to get everything out of every day I can...because it’s not coming back,” says Smith.

Smith says his proudest accomplishment is being a father of one, grandfather of two, and great-grandfather of six children.

Smith says he’s in the process of training another person to step in when he is ready to retire.

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