Goderich nurse folds up her scrubs and retires from the hospital she's had a lifelong connection to

A registered practical nurse from Goderich, Ont., is retiring after more than four decades working at the same hospital, serving the community where she grew up and raised her own family.  

Wilma Duckworth shares a long history with Alexandra Marine and General Hospital (AMGH). Not only is it the place she spent her entire 45-year career, it's also where she and her now-late husband Paul were born — on the same day and in the same room, only minutes apart. 

"I was born June 18, 1959 at 11 p.m. and my future husband was born 20 minutes later. My mom and his mom shared a room together and my mom would always tell me about this boy," Duckworth told CBC's Afternoon Drive on Thursday.

Duckworth would go on to meet Paul again in the summer before they started Grade 8 and began dating in high school. They also shared the same workplace as Paul worked at AMGH's housekeeping department for 27 years, and the couple remained together until his death in 2021.

Duckworth's deep attachment to her hometown brought her back after she completed her nursing degree in London. Throughout her time at AMGH, she worked in various departments including its former chronic care unit, surgery and maternal care. 

"I like to treat [patients] like they are my family and how I would want them to be treated. They're coming to you in their most vulnerable moment and it may be something simple but it could be a cancer diagnosis, so you have to treat them like this is something important," she said. 

Her fondest memory is one Valentine's Day, where both labour and delivery rooms at the hospital were full and she helped deliver a third baby in the patient room, Duckworth said, describing the experience as "incredible" and one she'll "treasure forever." 

"It's been a privilege and a journey with the people I've worked with from way back when and now the young girls and men who [are] taking over," she said. "I've been very blessed to work with them all."

Lynn Higgs, the hospital's vice president of clinical services, has worked with Duckworth for more than two decades. She describes Duckworth as compassionate and dedicated to her patients. She will miss Duckworth's warm hugs, she said. 

"As a colleague she was very supportive, I don't think there was a person that didn't love working with Wilma and it's sad to see her go but it's well deserved. She's certainly dedicated a significant part of her life here," said Higgs, AMGH's chief nursing executive. 

"She was very driven to offer suggestions to improve things. She's been here long enough that she has certainly embraced many challenges within health care. And sometimes it's hard to change but she was very forthcoming and changing with the times."

Jimmy Trieu, president and CEO at Huron Health System, said Duckworth is leaving behind a legacy of care and will be missed by her entire team. 

Duckworth said times like the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s and the COVID-19 pandemic were difficult, but being within her community made it easier. 

"In a small town hospital there's a real good sense of community, we all know each other and we have such a variety of care that we can give. Goderich is a wonderful community with a hospital that can do wonderful things," she said.