“I’ve got dinner to serve.”

Those were the first words that Whitwell Elementary cook Sue Williams said as she walked into a surprise party honoring her retirement Tuesday. The party was planned just before the students’ lunch time, much to Williams’ chagrin.

“I should be in there with the kids serving dinner,” Williams said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Those who know her say they would expect nothing less from the feisty 72-year-old cook, who is hanging up her apron after 28 years.

“She always puts the kids first,” said John Maynard, Whitwell Elementary principal. “She does the extra things for the kids, like remembering their birthdays or noticing if one of them needs a coat.”

That’s a pretty tall order, especially since there are nearly 200 students in first through fifth grade.

“She works well beyond her hours,” Maynard said. “That’s the kind of dedication I would want from everybody.”

Williams said she did not want a fuss made over her, especially when there were chicken nuggets waiting to be handed over to hungry kids. But, the cook said she was honored nevertheless.

“This is really something else,” she said as she looked around the roomful of co-workers and well-wishers. “I just don’t know about this.”

Retiring is bittersweet, she said, and Friday — the last day for students — will be one of the most difficult days of her life.

“Not seeing the kids and the people I work with is going to be the hardest part,” Williams said. “I’ve seen so many teachers and principals go and now it’s me that’s leaving.”

She said the “cooking and the children” have been the favorite parts of her nearly three decades in the school’s kitchen.

Williams was one of two of the cooks hired when Whitwell opened. The other was Vivian Brammer, who spent 25 years alongside Williams, but retired in 2003.

“When I retired it was like we got a divorce, we’d been together that long,” Brammer said with a laugh.

The two — Williams and Brammer — were quite a team, according to those who knew them. They had a lot of fun, but also ran a tight ship.

“We were really good friends and that made the work a lot easier,” Brammer said.

Leah Meeks, a retired cook from the junior high, spoke highly of Williams, saying she went out of her way to make sure the kids in the cafeteria were getting the nutrition they need, “She always went to the tables and made sure the kids were drinking their milk and eating their vegetables. She was like their grandmother.”

Meeks said Williams was none too happy when junk food started creeping into the lunchroom.

“She’d call me up and tell me that it really bothered her,” she said. “She just hated the fact that was happening.”

No replacement has been named for Williams, but most agree that there will never be another cook like her.

Brammer said, “Whitwell will never be the same without her (Williams).”

“I think it’s like trying to find a replacement for (basketball player) Michael Jordan,” Maynard said.