Helping people every day.

For over 38 years, Linda Miller went to work each day, and that’s exactly what she did.

The district officer manager of state Rep. Jerry Knowles retired on Oct. 22, after being on the job since 1981.

“It was very rewarding,” said Miller. “Through the years, we were able to help a lot of people cut through red tape with problems that they got frustrated with and couldn’t solve themselves. It is very rewarding that I was able to be in that position so long; in a position that I could help people.”

Miller worked for state representatives William Klingaman Sr. (1981-85), Dave Argall (1985-2009) and Knowles (2009-present) during her tenure. Miller and Knowles worked together for Argall simultaneously. When Knowles took over, he offered the position of district office manager to her.

“Linda was just a wealth of information,” said Knowles. “Very few times has anyone called here and Linda has not had the answer, because she’s dealt with so many issues for such a long period of time. In fact, she was that good, that she went to Harrisburg once and was part of a group that was training new legislative assistants in the district. She participated in that, to train people that were coming into the job.”

Miller raised her daughters in the Tamaqua area. She has a degree in specialized business from the McCann School of Business. “I was never tempted to go to Harrisburg, because I had two daughters and they were my priority,” she said. “I wanted to be close by. My boss was always very lenient with me and my family. I was always very content with where I was at.”

Miller was honored in Harrisburg last month to conclude her service. In fact, at the time of her retirement, she was the current longest-serving legislative district office worker in the commonwealth.

“I don’t think people realize how busy Jerry and David’s schedules are,” Miller said. “Monday through Friday and weekends. I was able to be back in the district, so that they could go to Harrisburg and do their work.”

She added, “I’ve worked for very good bosses. They were all very good to me, and I believed what they believed in. Going to work wasn’t considered a job to me, I really enjoyed my job.”

Lauren Miller, who was trained by Linda as an intern more than 13 years ago, will take over as the new district office manager. “She was a great co-worker,” said Lauren Miller. “Any question you had, she answered for. It was great to learn from her. She’s a very hard worker.”

Now retired, Linda plans on spending time with her grandchildren and doing some exploring. “I’m planning on traveling and just doing some of the things that I never really got a chance to do.”