Patti Wibbenmeyer to retire as circuit clerk, calls the court office 'a great place to work'

Patti Wibbenmeyer never figured on a court-clerk career that has lasted 37 years, including eight years as Cape Girardeau County circuit clerk.

�I was thinking legal secretary,� she recalled.

But Wibbenmeyer, who is retiring today, found the job rewarding.

�The greatest thing is all the people I have met,� she said. She added, �It has been a great place to work.�

Over the years, she said, �I have seen a lot of judges and clerks come and go.�

Congratulatory plaques are seen Friday during a retirement party for Patti Wibbemneyer at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson to mark the end of Wibbenmeyer's 37 years as a court clerk.TYLER GRAEF

Wibbenmeyer was honored at a retirement party Friday in the large courtroom at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson.

Charleen �Charlie� Biester, who served 19 years as a deputy circuit clerk and nearly four years as secretary to the circuit�s presiding judge, was elected in November and will take over as circuit clerk Tuesday.

Wibbenmeyer, a Perryville, Missouri, native, took a job in the circuit clerk�s office in August 1981 after graduating from Patricia Stevens Career College in St. Louis.

She became chief deputy in 1999, working under then circuit clerk Charles Hutson.

Hutson served nine terms as circuit clerk.

After he announced he would not seek a 10th term, Wibbenmeyer decided to seek the job.

�I�ve been here a long time and I just don�t want it to go to someone who doesn�t know how to run the office,� she told the Southeast Missourian in February 2010.

�I just can�t imagine not being here,� Wibbenmeyer said at the time. �I have been here since I was 19 years old and I feel like this is home.�

During her career, she has handled numerous court tasks.

She started out working with juvenile cases and handling the accounting work.

�I helped process child-support payments, which eventually became my main job,� she remembered.

In 1999, she moved to other duties after the state centralized the processing of child-support payments in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Wibbenmeyer took over court-clerk duties involving lawsuits and divorce cases.

She has served as circuit clerk since Jan. 1, 2011. In that role, she has worked in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson circuit court offices, and supervised 24 deputy clerks.

The circuit clerk�s office deals with everything from small-claims to murder cases, she said.

Wibbenmeyer said her office interacts with people �on what is usually the worst day of their lives� when it comes to divorce and child-custody cases.

�A lot of times, there are no good answers,� she said of such situations.

Wibbenmeyer said computers have brought about the biggest changes in circuit court operations, significantly reducing paperwork.

In 2001, circuit court records became accessible on the internet through the state�s Casenet system.

In May 2013, attorneys began e-filing lawsuits and other legal documents.

�It changed the way we did everything,� she said.

Much of her career has been spent at the historic Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau.

�I just feel like I know every nook and cranny of the building,� she said.

She has fond memories of the filming in 2013 of �Gone Girl� scenes at the Courthouse gazebo.

Wibbenmeyer recalled watching some of the night-time filming from the Common Pleas Courthouse.

�We were watching from upstairs windows,� she said.

She remembered walking into the courthouse one evening and finding actor Ben Affleck sitting in a desk chair.

�That was exciting,� Wibbenmeyer said.

Wibbenmeyer is thrilled the county is building a new justice center in Jackson, which will consolidate circuit court offices and courtrooms in a single facility.

�We have needed that for so long it seems like a dream,� she said.

Wibbenmeyer, who lives in Jackson, said she is looking forward to retirement.

�My husband and I are going to do some traveling,� she said, adding she also wants to spend time with her granddaughter.

She said she and her husband will continue to find time to relax at the couple�s lake cabin in Perry County.

But Wibbenmeyer said she will miss her circuit court co-workers.

�I have made lifelong friends working here,� she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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