Middendorf retires after 30 years at St. Ann

HAMILTON — You can usually find Pete Middendorf strolling the Pleasant Avenue streets with a walking stick in one hand and a wave of acknowledgement in the other.

The Lindenwald resident never misses an opportunity to say ‘Hi’ to his beloved friends and family.

He’s also never missed an opportunity to get a job done.

Middendorf retired as janitor of St. Ann Catholic School in September after giving 30 years of maintenance throughout the parish’s four facilities.

“I really enjoyed my time there, and that was mostly because of the kids. I did it for the kids,” Middendorf said humbly. “You know, I’m not really one for pats on the back. That’s all I really can say.”
 

St. Ann janitor of 30 years, Pete Middendorf.
Submitted Photo

Middendorf is currently employed at Matandy Steel, located in Hamilton, where he does landscaping.

“He’s a hard-working individual who made sure everything was maintained,” said St. Ann Principal Donna Weber, who worked with Middendorf all 30 of those years.

“His responsibility was to maintain the school from a perspective of cleanliness,” Weber added. “If something was wrong, he was the right person to fix it. If something was out of place, he’d put it back in place.”

To many, Middendorf has been valued throughout the Lindenwald community because of his kindheartedness and the admiration he was instilled by others.

Especially at St. Ann’s.

“All the students were always glad to see him,” Weber said. “He always put himself out there for the parish. He, as a staff member, was respected and trusted by the school and the students.

“Our staff is like a family,” Weber continued. “Whether a teacher, secretary, student, we all work together, and Pete was a person who worked well with us. We’ll miss him.