News

Contact: Terry Moss

DOUGLAS, WY - Long time Memorial Hospital of Converse County staff member Kathy Summers will retire this month. Kathy, a resident of Douglas, Wyoming, has been a member of the MHCC healthcare community for 48 years. Beginning in the Laboratory and Radiology at the hospital, Kathy is retiring as the Cardiopulmonary Director after a rewarding career serving her community!

“I have loved all of my coworkers over the years, and there was a lot,” shared Summers in a written statement. “I started with a small family of coworkers, under 100, and ended up with over 500+ coworkers now. Everyone I have worked with was special to me in some way. This has been home to me for 48 years, and it has been wonderful, amazing, terrifying, and heartbreaking.”

Witnessing many medical and organizational changes throughout her tenure, Summers reflected on the many decades of service she has shared while at MHCC. “There have been an awful lot of changes over the years. Sometimes I led the charge; other times, I went kicking and screaming. But, I always had the comfort of my coworkers and my family along the way.”

“Kathy is one of those people that just knows how to have fun and she just brings good, positive energy into the room every time she comes into it,” shared Memorial Hospital of Converse County CEO Matt Dammeyer, PhD. “She’s one of those people that I don’t know if she’s ever going to grow old because she kind of has a youthful spirit and I think she really embodies a lot of what this hospital is about and what our healthcare system is about, which is people, being real, and enjoying the people around you, and just bringing great energy to the local communities in which we serve.”

After these many active years of service in the healthcare industry, you might think upon retirement, Kathy would consider taking it easy. But that’s not her style. “I have a very wonderful man in my life. We bought a fifth-wheel trailer, and we are going to travel,” said Kathy when asked about her retirement plans. “We will finish the Winter in Arizona and then go where the mood sends us. I am so excited for the new life ahead of me.”

Memorial Hospital plans to send Summers off into the sunset in style. Planning not just one but two events, the team is making sure that all staff and community members feel welcome. The first event will be solely for MHCC staff and family and hosted at the Arbor Cafe Friday, February 19th. The public retirement event for Kathy Summers will be at the Douglas Community Club on February 19th, starting at 6 pm. This event will take place in a larger venue to promote social distancing. Friends, former colleagues, and community members are encouraged to stop in and wish Kathy well, but be sure to be safe while doing so.

“Kathy, don’t give up your youthful energy. It’s a beautiful part of who you are and that’s something that we’re going to miss: your fun and your energy. And at the end of the day, for us in healthcare, it’s about people, and I think you leave a big hole for us to fill,” concluded Dammeyer. “But wherever you go, you’ve got a lot of time ahead of you even though you’ve given us a lot of time. Let that youthful, positive human element just continue to spread across wherever you go. And we’re going to miss you”

“I will miss my friends at work,” said Kathy in closing. “Our home base will be Wyoming, and I will be coming into Mocha Molly’s for a chai.”