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Traffic was backed up on Elm Street midday Thursday. Horns were honking, people were waving and yelling and some exited their vehicles.

And, it was “all on account of Glenda Fayson.”

All the racket was a Retirement Party Parade for Glenda Fayson, the “best friend of everyone who ever entered the Colley Senior Complex,” said Beverly Casey, complex staff member. “Glenda is the life of the center and has been for 18 years. We are all going to miss her.”

For those many years, Fayson has answered the phone at the complex with, “This is the lovely Glenda.”

And, she is the lovely Glenda, said Catherine Jordan, Colley Senior Complex director. “Glenda and I have worked together for eight years and I don’t know what I’ll do without her – what we’ll do without her.”

Jordan said Fayson has always been ready and willing to do whatever needed to be done and she always did it with a smile and her smile was contagious.

“Glenda spread joy all around,” Jordan said.

The Retirement Party Parade was from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and a steady stream of vehicles paraded by the honoree’s retirement tent but the Lovely Glenda went out to greet her “family.”

“Everybody at the Colley Senior Complex is family,” Fayson said. “I’m going to miss every one of them but, when I’m not traveling all around, I’ll be back at the senior center as a participant. I’m going to paint pictures and throw pots and crochet and sing and dance and have a good time with all my friends.”

The Lovely Glenda keeps things going at the senior center and Jordan said things will be noticeably quieter without her “dancing around.”

“Glenda has been the life of the center for 18 years and, as much as we’ll miss her, we wish her happy days as she travels around the world.”