Ruth Burchyett celebrated her 80th birthday Wednesday by doing what she does best: going to work.

Burchyett, a cafeteria worker at Central Junior High School, didn't even consider staying home for the day. She preferred making her daily ration of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and cleaning dirty trays at school. Staying home would have meant sitting around. "And I don't sit around," she said.

"I'm the tray lady," said Burchyett. "That's my job and I enjoy it."

Burchyett has been the tray lady since she retired after 29 years as a production worker at Superior Electric. She said she "didn't want to sit around and get old and die," so she began working as a substitute cafeteria worker in the public schools. She was soon hired full time at the junior high school, and she has faithfully worked her three-hour shift ever since.

"I think she's missed maybe two days in all the years she's been here," said cafeteria manager Katie Hannaford. "Sometimes she's here at 8:30 in the morning just because she was just in the neighborhood and didn't have anything to do."

Her mornings may not be busy, but the rest of Burchyett's day usually is full. She faithfully works every Wednesday cooking for weekly prayer meeting suppers at First Baptist Church, where she is a member. She is known for her willingness to sit with a homebound person, make a sick friend a meal or give people rides in her 1972 Maverick.

"She's helping all of these other people, and she may be 10 or 20 years or more older than them," Hannaford said. "We were going to take her out to eat tonight, but she had to work at her other job, so we're taking her out tomorrow."

Co-worker Diane Lynn said she envies Burchyett's energy level. "She a great worker. I'm 40, and she can keep up and go past me," she said.

Burchyett learned the importance of hard work early in life. She walked two and one-half miles every day to her school in Oriole with only a cold lunch she carried to sustain her throughout the day. She said she also remembers her father's pride in his longtime role as a custodian at Alma Schrader Elementary School.

"He was a hard worker, and I think I am too," said Burchyett.

Burchyett said she wouldn't wish her childhood treks to school or the lunches on the children she serves. "I didn't know what it was to have a hot dinner and hot roll and get a soda out of the machine," she said. "I wouldn't want to go back to those days."

Burchyett seemed to enjoy the well-wishes she received from students, teachers and co-workers on Wednesday. One of the reasons she continues to work is because she enjoys being surrounded by a variety of people younger than her. Her age doesn't matter to them, she said.. "I feel like I'm about 60 since that teacher came over and kissed me," she said Wednesday.

Being around young people and staying active helps a person feel young, Burchyett said.

She doesn't plan to quit anytime soon. "I'm going to make the best of it; make the best of life too. You don't want to give up," she said.