What began as a summer job working in the cafeteria at St. Joseph Hospital grew into a career that spanned nearly five decades for Cliff Marble.
Marble, 65, has worked at the hospital now known as PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for the past 49 years. That makes him the Vancouver hospital’s longest serving employee.
“My favorite thing is spending time with the patients, because where else can you meet so many people from so many different walks of life and just learn so much in the short time that I’m with them?” Marble said. “I love this. I love the interaction with the patients, and I love what we do.”
On Tuesday, Marble commemorated his last day at PeaceHealth in style. Dressed in a tuxedo adorned with a “49” pin, he welcomed past and current co-workers, as well as his family. They had no shortage of stories to share about Marble’s impact on the community.
To round out the retirement ceremony, Marble played “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the harmonica for his wife, Shelly King.
He greeted her outside with a single white rose — which symbolizes a new beginning — before they climbed into a limo to head to dinner at the Vancouver waterfront.
“This isn’t what I do. This is who I am,” Marble said. “So I will have to reinvent part of myself, because I put my heart, soul and everything into what I do every single time, because I just love what we do here.”
49-year career
It was the summer of 1976 when Marble, a Vancouver native, began working in the cafeteria at St. Joseph Hospital. He was just 16 years old. After his two-month summer job was over, the hospital asked him if he wanted to stay full-time. From there, Marble worked food service and hospitality jobs throughout the hospital until 1992. (At that time, it was called Southwest Washington Medical Center.)
Then, he transferred to the surgical services department and has worked as a perioperative transporter ever since.
“My first day in perioperative transport when I had my first patient, I knew it: This is for me. This is where God wants me to be,” Marble said.
Marble’s job entailed safely transporting patients within the hospital, especially before and after surgical procedures. He would assist with moving patients between various areas and also transport equipment, supplies and lab samples.
Throughout his career, Marble made an impression on almost everyone whose paths he crossed, said Clinical Nurse Educator Judy Martin, who worked with Marble for 24 years.
“He is a pillar of our mission and values. He really is,” Martin said. “He was always uplifting. I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know who Cliff is. He’s just a bright light of the hospital.”
Employees like Marble contribute greatly to workplace culture, Senior Marketing Director Debra Carnes said.
“It takes a special person to devote nearly 50 years of their life to one employer, and Cliff Marble exemplified what it means to be a caregiver with his decades-long commitment,” Carnes said. “He remained engaged, exhibited passion for his job, and demonstrated that every day to both his colleagues and the patients he interacted with. He was committed to providing the best care for our community, a community that he has deep roots in and is invested in caring for families, friends and neighbors.”
As Marble transitions into retirement, he said he is looking forward to traveling, spending time with his wife and enjoying “unlimited paid time off.”
But he will never forget the impact the hospital and its employees have had on him.
“I wanted to give these people, since they’ve given me so much, a lasting memory of me,” Marble said. “I’m going to miss this place so much, because I have learned so much from all these people and just had so much fun along the way.”
