Retiring with Kloeckner: Ann Jones

“All I have to do is rattle my keys.”

Soon-to-be-retired-from Kloeckner Metals York Ann Jones loves to travel and enjoys looking out for the next best vacation, museum visit, or beach day. She’s adamant about bringing along those she loves, and that little bit of jangle is enough to get her husband, two kids, and four grandchildren to raise their heads up in excitement for Ann’s next adventure.

When she retires on January 7^th after 36 years of working in the shipping and receiving department, she’ll be spending more time with them, doing exactly that.

Ann’s Big Family

Ann was born and raised in York, Pennsylvania. She grew up in a big family with nine brothers and sisters, and eight step brothers and sisters.

“When you grow up in a big family back in the 50s and 60s,” reflects Ann, “everybody had one TV, and one rotator phone hung on the kitchen wall. So, when Dad was there watching baseball, everybody watched baseball. When the streetlights came on, you better be sitting on your step.”

You could expect to spend time together. That’s just how it was.

How Ann Got Her Start in the Metals Industry

Ann’s big family laid the groundwork for her appreciation of kinship and the kind of community that feels like family. She found this working in steel.

One day in 1985, Ann bumped into a friend. He told her he was working at Edgcomb Steel and mentioned that a position was available in the shipping department.

She’d walked by the building ever since she could remember, but the day she actually entered, she became enthralled by the environment and took the job.

The energy and excitement in the shipping department fit Ann’s character. “You see how steel moves, how it comes in. You’re dealing with the public and truckers. It’s just so interesting! It’s never the same every day,” she explains.

“I love coming in to work.”

Back when Ann started, everything was done manually. There weren’t computers, databases, or multiple phone lines for her and her colleagues to call drivers, secure trucks, calculate costs, and track inventory.

“I don’t know how we got through it, but we did,” says Ann. One thing’s for sure, “I work with some extremely good co-workers and everyone came together to solve problems. I love coming in to work.”

The community vibe at York is charming. Ann looks forward to seeing all the drivers, and helping out however she can. Co-workers with kids or grandkids often fundraise for school or extracurricular activities, so entering the lunch room can feel more like a mall. It gives you the sense that you’re connected in each other’s lives beyond work.

Ann’s Next Journey

As much as Ann has enjoyed the shipping and receiving department, she admits, “There’s nothing like putting your feet in the sand, sitting in your beach chair, and listening to the waves.”

She’s a self-described “beach bum,” with an equally important penchant for nature walks in the woods, trips through the Adirondacks, and weekend rides on her husband’s Goldwing motorcycle.

In the past, she’s planned family vacations to Niagara Falls, Montreal, the Pocanos, gone whale watching, and visited the Smithsonian in D.C. When she can’t get out and about for an adventure, “you can go anywhere reading a book,” she reminds us.

She’s most excited to spend more time with her four grandchildren. As they grow up in a world vastly different from the one in which she was brought up, she hopes to nourish their appreciation for history, nature, and of course, family.

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