New Jersey man gets wish, returns to work on 100th birthday


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey man wanted only one thing for his 100th birthday: to return to his old job.

Hutchinson Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Cherry Hill made Bill Hansen's wish come true, and on Monday welcomed back the retired permit coordinator. There was a birthday cake and a standing ovation before Hansen got back to work.

CEO Fred Hutchinson agreed to pay him $1 and organized a complete day of assignments.

"He took off about 15 minutes after we signed that agreement to get to work," Hutchinson told WCAU-TV.

Hansen, of Haddon Township, retired at the age of 97 after working 32 years for the company.

"I hate being retired," he said.

Hansen went from job to job. His former co-workers wished him a happy birthday throughout the day.

Carl Canfield, the man Hansen trained to replace him, said he only hopes he can aspire to be "half the man" Hansen is.

Hansen, who spent nearly four decades working for other companies, including Exxon, said he was "blessed."

"I never had a job where I didn't want to go to work in the morning," he said.

Hansen attributes his love of work, his wife and family for his happiness. They're also the motivation for his newest goal.

"To live to see my youngest granddaughter graduate," Hansen said. "That'll be in 2024."

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent Features stories

The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast