Mary Gislason retired on March 25 after 43 years of service as an emergency dispatcher in Lyon County. Appropriately, members of the Lyon County Sheriff Department sent her off to retirement with the customary 10-7 ceremony. If you are unaware, the 10-7 code on the police radio indicates a police officer or deputy is out of service.

A line of Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicles with flashing lights turned on and department personnel and supporters greeted her as she walked out of the Law Enforcement Center.

While 43 years of service to one organization is quite a lifetime achievement, there was more to the honoring Gislason service to Lyon County.

According to her peers, she possessed all the qualities of a dispatcher who makes a difference each shift. Those qualities: Communication skills, detail-oriented, decision-making skills, compassion, emotional control, listening skills, calm under pressure, etc.

Hopefully those skills will be passed on to current dispatchers in Gislason’s absence.

Meanwhile, Gislason says she wants to spend her retirement traveling. She has Hawaii in her sights.

She told the Independent, “I’ll just see where life takes me,”

God speed on your journey, Mary.