Fred Goethals retired Feb. 7 after 34 years of service at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital.

“For 34 years, Fred has been a valuable member of our team. Everything he’s done at Lee Memorial bears the mark of excellence,” said John Ryder, chief operating officer. “Fred exemplifies the Borgess guiding principle of connecting with people at many different levels to foster an environment for better healing. He will be missed.”

Goethals retired as a rehabilitation assistant in rehabilitation therapy, handling patient registration and charges.

He also previously helped patients with their rehabilitation in the nursing units. He joined the department 30 years ago after spending the first four years at Lee Memorial in patient transportation service.

“The experiences and memories of the hundreds of patients over the years are priceless,” says Goethals, “unless, of course, I actually write that book I always said would be a best seller.”

Goethals is a native of Frankfort, a small town on Lake Michigan, and plans to move back to his hometown with his wife to retire. “My wife and I own a retirement home there,” he says. “I plan to spend a lot of time roaming the beach with a metal detector contemplating nothing.”

“Lee Memorial has been a great place to work,” he adds. “I am grateful to have had a job I enjoyed, to have the relationships I’ve experienced and for the opportunities I’ve been given while here. I will miss being a part of this special place.”