A couple retires from subway after more than 30 years

PARIS, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Bourbon County couple is retiring after working more than 30 years together for the Subway franchise.

We first told you about Barbara and Rex Cecil last February on Valentine’s Day for being together for more than 60 years.

Tuesday was their last day on the job at Subway. The two started working there in 1989, shortly after the owner built the store. There was a period when owner Daniel Biddle sold his store located in Paris. So, the couple went to work for a subway in Lexington. When Biddle repurchased the store, they returned.

Co-workers and customers filled the window with yellow and green hearts with personalized messages and congratulations on their retirement.

Barbara worked the front-line, making sandwiches, and was the first to greet customers. Rex was a do-it-all employee, from prep work to cleaning the dining area.

The couple and the store owner say this is all a little bittersweet.

“I don’t know,” said Biddle. “I hate to think about it, but, you know, we’re happy for them that they’ve reached this point in their lives.”

“It’s going to feel terrible it really is,” Rex said when thinking about not returning to work the next day. “Yup, it’s going to feel bad.”

Barbara and Rex said they are going to enjoy retirement by traveling to see family and will work on projects around their home.