Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher Cheri Smith sits at her desk on Thursday — a day before her formal retirement date. Her colleagues at the Canfield post say it’s no surprise that she’s working two additional weeks to make sure they’re properly staffed for the Canfield Fair. Staff photo / Dan Pompili

CANFIELD — Cheri Smith sits at the dispatch desk at the Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol with a box of Cheerios nearby and 1980s music on the radio at a low volume.

It’s Thursday — the day before her official retirement date — but she will work for another two weeks because she wants to be sure the post is well staffed through the Canfield Fair.

Friday marked 40 years and one month since her career as a dispatcher began, and this is hardly the first time she’s put her colleagues first.

Sgt. Patrick Abel has worked with her six years but has known her much longer. It’s classic Cheri, he said.

“She’s full of life,” he said. “Her humanity and how she always cares about everybody else, she always puts everybody else before herself, so that’s the biggest takeaway, is that she’s very selfless. She’s the epitome of caring.”

Post Commander Lt. Ben Dennison also has known Smith a long time and believes it’s that caring generous spirit that led her to be named post dispatcher of the year eight times, district dispatcher of the year three times and Ohio dispatcher of the year in 2020.

“She is absolutely the best person ever ,mand it’s going to be hard to replace her,” he said. “I’m happy she’s going, but we’re sad we’re losing her.”

The feeling is mutual. At 62, Smith knows it’s time to start a new chapter but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to say goodbye.

“It’s bittersweet. I’m sad about leaving, but life goes on and you’ve got to move on, and that’s basically what I’m telling myself, but I will miss it very much,” she said. “I love it.”

Smith began in Warren on July 22, 1985. She remembers having no CAD system for tracking and recording calls.

“When I started, we were writing on a piece of paper, we had these written logs,” she said. “We had reel-to-reel dictaphone tapes.”

The technology has changed the most, she said, but the job really has always been the same. And she’s spent most of it in Canfield, after transferring in 1991. She’s been part of this team for 34 of her 40 years on the job (she counts the four-year stint when the dispatch center moved to Lisbon as part of that tenure) and she feels the same way about them as they do about her.

“I guess it’s the people,” she said, when asked about how she stayed in one place and one job for so long. “I love the job, the excitement. There’s always something going on; it’s never boring. The people have been great to work for here and to work with.”

Abel said Smith’s love for the work and her co-workers has made the post a special place for everyone.

“Cheri has probably touched as many people that have walked through these doors as anybody here in her 40 years,” he said. “Not only have we learned a lot from her, but she has touched countless people’s lives, not only for the division, but the motoring public and every telephone call she’s answered.”

On Friday, more than 100 people filled McMahon Hall at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm next to the patrol post to celebrate Smith with a pancake breakfast and high honors.

Dennison, who emceed the festivities, called it a highlight of his career.

“I’ve escorted the vice president and the president, and this is far above that,” he said. “You’re so special.”

When Smith’s career began, he was 10 months old. He worked as a trooper at the post but left for Columbiana County in 2013. He returned in March as post commander. In all that time, he stayed in touch with Smith.

“She’s trained at least 15 dispatchers, several post commanders, hundreds of troopers and several hundreds of sergeants,” he said.

But he couldn’t hide his emotions as he shared his thoughts about the legacy Smith has built and will leave behind.

“The lives she has touched by simply answering the phone when someone was in need — she’s that calm voice you always want to hear, whether you’re stranded on the interstate or involved in a crash and need help,” he said. “Cheri has always been calm and professional even in the midst of chaos.”

Whether it’s keeping the mood cool, guiding troopers through tense and difficult moments in the field, always being a friend, or never failing to pick up a shift for her fellow dispatchers, Dennison said Smith sets the standard, and it’s a high bar.

“She’s such a remarkable person who’s always put others before herself, her generosity, sincerity and love are what separate her from most. No matter what’s going on in her life, she always takes that time to ask how your family is doing, she takes time to get to know your kids, and stays up to date with what’s going on in your life.”

Through his emotional tribute, he drew another laugh from the crowd, looking at Smith:

“You’re supposed to be crying, not me.”

His colleagues, many of them in OSHP uniforms, get it.

Brad Bucey is one of two staff lieutenants under Warren District Capt. Maurice Waddell. He also knows Smith well, having worked with her in some capacity for nearly 20 years. He was the post commander at Canfield after joining the post in 2006 and working his way up to sergeant and then lieutenant.

He talked about Smith before the formal recognition ceremony began.

Bucey praised her “motherly instinct” and the way she looks after everyone, even those who outrank her. But more than just the time she’s spent, he said it’s her dedication to going beyond the job description that has made her career so successful.

“She’s just one of a kind,” he said. “Even just trying to answer a difficult question on the phone, a lot of people will pass the call on to someone else, but she’ll make numerous phone calls and get that person the information they’re looking for.”

That comes from Smith’s ability to build relationships.

“She has relationships with all the employees, all the troopers, and also with the people in the community, whether it be wrecker drivers or other police departments, she knows just everybody in the county, and if you need something she’s going to get you that information.”

Can Smith’s shoes ever be filled?

“I don’t think so,” Bucey said. “Those shoes are about a size 26, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be able to fill her shoes. She’s definitely going to be missed at the Canfield post and within our whole organization.”

After Dennison’s tribute, OSHP Lt. Col. Charles Linek presented Smith with a certificate signed by Col. Charles Jones, honoring her career.

After that, it was time for Columbus Capt. Ronald Raines to present Smith with a signed proclamation from Gov. Mike DeWine along with a special framed Ohio license plate, but not before he told the story of how Smith introduced him to his wife, Alyson.

Dispatcher Shawn Rogers shared a memory as well.

A former dispatcher for Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Rogers said during his training at Canfield, he had difficulty learning some of the specific geography of the county’s interstates, particularly the Interstates 80-680 split. His ability to do — and keep — his job depended upon his ability to master that knowledge.

“Cheri said ‘Shawn, I swear to God, I am going to make sure you learn this,'” he said. “That’s how she is. If you need help, if you need to learn something, she’s going to go that extra mile for you.”

Recognition also was given to Smith’s husband, Doug, for his years of sacrifice. Doug Smith was visibly emotional throughout most of the morning, and spoke little, but his wife in her own right conceded to the personal costs of her dedication to work.

“I’m so thankful to my family for putting up with me working for 40 years. I’ve missed everything you can imagine,” she said.

In less than two weeks, that will not be a problem anymore, and Smith said she has plans and her family has plans for her.

Her mother, for example, is excited that they won’t have to wait until 5:30 to eat dinner anymore.

Her mother and sister, Sue Rance, live right next door.

Rance was an Ohio trooper for 30 years before retiring in 2011, so she understands Smith’s love of the job.

“Cheri felt an absolute responsibility to her post,” she said. “She loved her troopers and her supervisors and she felt a responsibility to them and she didn’t want to leave them.”

But now it’s time for her sister to enjoy the rest of what life has to offer. No more shoe-horning social plans into Tuesday nights only.

“It’s time, before we’re too old to do anything,” she said.

She plans to put Smith and their friends into the car and do “one-tank trips” to Amish country, Cleveland and other places on their list.

Doug said he and his wife plan to do their own traveling, to see relatives in Florida, and to finally get around to some home improvement projects that have been on hold.

While Doug may have spent many years making sacrifices, to him it all seemed worth it as he watched and listened with great pride on Friday.

“She is the best of the best,” he said. “Just looking around at everyone here, as an observer, all of her peers respect her.”

And while she’s looking forward to the new chapter, It’ll still take some time for Smith to adjust.

“I can’t imagine my life without this, and I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, but I’m gonna try to make it work,” she said. “These kids I work with are the best kids in the world, and it’s just been an amazing journey.”