Suffolk News-Herald

Lottie Lassiter Goodman recently celebrated her 85th birthday and every Wal-Mart associate in Suffolk sang &uot;Happy Birthday&uot; as she offered one of the bright smiles she bestows upon shoppers in the store.

Wal-Mart’s Manager Sam Wiggs welcomed &uot;Miss Lottie&uot; to the Radio Grill inside the store, and as she used her cane to join a large throng of employees circled around to greet her, she was obviously surprised.

&uot;We mark this day as &uot;Lottie Goodman Day&uot; in Suffolk and we want you to know we love you and appreciate you so much,&uot; said Wiggs. &uot;There are not too many people that are 85 who can do what you do. We wish you so many more years.&uot;

Goodman serves as a Wal-Mart &uot;greeter&uot; and she said there is one simple reason for her continued service to the store and its customers after almost 10 years.

&uot;I’ve had good people to work with and they are all like my family,&uot; said Goodman. &uot;The customers are also like an extended family and I love to meet them and just talk with them. It keeps me going.&uot;

Many Wal-Mart shoppers may recall Miss Lottie’s face from the 37 years she spent as an employee at the old Leggett’s Department Store on North Main Street.

Goodman, a resident of Saddler Heights, is the widow of Howard Goodman, a farmer in Suffolk.

Along with Wiggs, many associates at Wal-Mart came to congratulate one of their favorite employees.

&uot;Her daughter was married to my brother, and I just love them both to pieces,&uot; said Alice Bartlett. &uot;They are the sweetest people and Miss Lottie is just a joy to be around.&uot;

Pam Pavlik said she’s worked with Goodman for more than eight years, and while serving as assistant manager over the &uot;people greeters,&uot; Pavlik learned a lot about Goodman.

&uot;She did a wonderful job and she greets every customer with an energy and enthusiasm beyond her 85 years,&uot; said Pavlik. &uot;I only hope for that kind of energy when I get to be her age. She’s a wonderful personality, and I love her just as all the associates do.&uot;

Once all the congratulations were said, the associates gathered closer to the table where Miss Lottie stood with Wiggs in front of a huge birthday cake.

Together, they let loose with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday that was probably heard at the nearby Lowe’s store.