After decades of service to the children of Dowagiac, a group of Dowagiac teachers will be riding off into the proverbial sunset at the end of semester in June.

Members of the Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education honored five of the district’s retirees during their meeting Monday night at Dowagiac Middle School.

The board joined Superintendent Paul Hartsig and several other administrators in honoring the retirees and their families. Hartsig handed the educators a commemorative bell for their years of service to the district, students and families in the community.

Retirees recognized Monday were:

Dean Hill, Dowagiac Union High School art teacher:

Hill has taught art, history, social studies, drafting, geography and mathematics to middle and high school students for nearly 45 years — all of which were at Dowagiac Union Schools. According to Hill, that amounts to around 40,000 classes.

Hill has also coached tennis, girls basketball and track teams at the middle and high schools during his career as well.

“It’s been a fun 44 years,” Hill said, during his remarks to the audience Monday. “I will miss this place. It has been a part of my life for 44 years. I thank you for letting me be here.”

Jeff Robinson, Dowagiac Union High School/Dowagiac Middle School choir instructor:

Robinson has been in musical education for 31 years, 15 of which have been with Dowagiac Union Schools, where he has served as the director of the middle and high school choirs. He came to the district from the Penn school district in Mishawaka.

The retiring choir teacher’s fondest memories are from the multitude of musical performances, where music has “brought the community and inspired us to be our best,” said Kelly Millin, who introduced Robinson during Monday’s ceremony.

“Thanks for allowing an Indiana guy to come up here after having a career down there,” Robinson said. “It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It allowed me to practice my career with students who genuinely loved my program and what we did together.”

Gloria Staten, Patrick Hamilton Elementary third-grade teacher:

Staten has been in education for nearly 50 years, 36 of which were at Dowagiac. She has taught second, third and fifth graders during her career with the district, as well as Title I and a marking period of kindergarten, Staten said.

Staten said her most memorable moments included walking field trips on Friday afternoons with volunteering parents, pizza parties at her house with readers, teaching dance to McKinley Elementary School staff for the talent show, and team teaching with “lots of friends,” said Patrick Hamilton Principal Heather Nash.

“I have known Gloria since she taught choir at church, and I was in her choir group with Mark and Andy [her sons],” Nash said. “I think the entire time I have been in Dowagiac, you have been part of my life. I know that when you are retiring that doesn’t mean you are not going to be there, so you have to come back [and visit].”

Staten kept her farewell speech short and sweet.

“Goodbye,” she said, before stepping down from the mic.

Trudy and Emanuel Custodio, Patrick Hamilton Elementary Kindergarten teacher and Dowagiac Union High School custodian:

Trudy has been in education for 29 years, of all which were with Dowagiac schools. She has always taught “kindergarten-ish:” kindergarten, kindergarten plus and early childhood special education classrooms, Nash said.

Her most memorable moment was seeing her first class graduate, Nash said.

For Trudy, the opportunity to teach at Dowagiac gave her the chance to make her childhood dream come true, she said.

“From the time I was 5, I said I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher,” Trudy said. “In high school, I would ask every one of my teachers, ‘do I need this class to teach kindergarten? Because I’m going to be kindergarten teacher.’ That’s all I have cared about. I have taken care of kids since I was old enough to walk one in a wagon.”

Her husband, Emanuel, has been a maintenance worker with the district for 32 years, starting out at McKinley Elementary School (where he met Trudy) before moving to the high school after the elementary closed.

“He [Emanuel] is always compassionate about what he does,” said DUS Maintenance Director John Juroff. “He works hard and has always been diligent. I can say this about all of these retirees, but we are really losing some top-notch talent. I am proud to have known him.”