Sheriff Don Smith congratulates Zeke Drnek on the occasion of his 88th birthday last week. Eric Gross John Francis “Zeke” Drnek loves his job.

How many people do you know who report for work each day with great enthusiasm at the tender age of 88?

The life-long Patterson resident was honored last week on the occasion of his birthday by members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Don Smith presented Zeke with a birthday cake inscribed with well-wishes that was decorated with the Sheriff’s Office crest.

Senior Investigator Pat Castaldo, who sings professionally as an Elvis impersonator, led the gathering in a rousing rendition of the birthday song.

Sheriff Smith called Drnek the “dean of Putnam County employees,” in reference to his being most senior in age of all county workers.

The sheriff then alluded to the headline stories from 1922—the year Zeke was born. Among other things, Smith said in 1922 Warren G. Harding was President of the U.S., the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed, giving women the right to vote, and the tomb of King Tut was discovered.

Drnek has been employed as a custodian at the Sheriff’s Office since 1979. His county service follows decades and decades of work in the private sector that included driving an ice truck when he was only 12 to help support his family during the Great Depression.

Drnek’s sense of humor became apparent during the party when he described a former job: “I had 500 people under me. I mowed the grass at the cemetery.”

When advised that his birthday would be mentioned in the Putnam Courier, Zeke quipped: “It should say: ‘Don’t send cards—send cash!’”

Drnek is a World War II veteran who continues to work on behalf of local vets. He is also an active member of the Patterson Fire Department.

Zeke has been married to the love of his life—Louise—for the past 64 years. The Patterson residents have been blessed with two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Happy Birthday Zeke … and many, many more!

—Eric Gross