A coronavirus birthday: York County man celebrates his 90th on the job at Saubel's Market

There always was another shopping cart to wrangle, another customer to greet.

The Monday morning air felt warm enough for Herb Baker to work in short sleeves, the sun bright enough for his wide-brimmed fedora.

Yet another glorious day on the job.

A perfect one to turn 90.

So there was a celebration in order at the Saubel's Markets in Shrewsbury, where Baker isn't the longest-running employee but certainly the oldest.

Though a bit bent from the years, he moved ever-steady in collecting one grocery cart after another. He wiped down each with a sanitizing solution and stacked them in orderly lines at the front of the store. 

He smiled and wished everyone well who passed by.

"I can’t stand to sit around. I only work four hours (at a time), so I’ve slowed down considerably," he said, eyes lighting up with another grin.

“I enjoy life, no question about it. I’m a people person."

More:How family, friends fuel Saubel's Markets during the coronavirus crisis

He has seemingly been fueled through the ages by heaping doses of positivity, duty and an unrelenting appreciation for those he encounters. More so, he is blessed with a sharp mind to talk about it all.

He was born into the Great Depression, grew up during World War II and earned his diploma from a school that hasn't been around in decades, New Freedom High. While there he worked his first job delivering ice and milk.

A few years later, he said, he joined the Army and fought in Korea, where you never can shake "watching your comrades die" and surviving in bunkers of dirt and rocks. 

He returned to York County and worked as a milk man for 20 years. He loved surveying the tiny towns and rolling farmland as he delivered his loads of bottles to those insulated metal crates on porches.

He would go on to work another two decades as a third-shift machine operator in West York.

Finally, he retired. Only to quickly discover that he truly needed to keep working.

[ The York Daily Record's coverage of coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing at ydr.com/subscribe. ]

Saubel's took him in 25 years ago and he never left.

He still is the most reliable of workers who never calls in sick, said owner Betti Saubel. A broken down car didn't halt him a few months ago. Neither has a catastrophic virus pandemic.

His granddaughter, an emergency room nurse at York Hospital, said she couldn't convince him to stop. Said she knew not to even try. 

Rather, he opted to start his shift two hours earlier each day to clean the carts.

He waves off worries about getting sick, just like he does the aches in his knees and his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He wears a protective mask and gloves and uses a medicinal spray to help his breathing.

He inspires in small, quiet ways.

“His work ethic is unbelievable," said Ed Snyder, a Saubel's produce manager. "I’m 57 and I look at this guy every day and I want to be like him. That's my style and that's the way I was brought up."

So, then, a 90th celebration would have to be held on the job. Granddaughter Nicole Smith-Zeigler manned a shopping cart outside the store with a birthday-wishes sign, balloons and free candy to all who passed.

Store owners Betti and Greg Saubel led some of their employees in a parking lot version of "Happy Birthday," then handed out homemade doughnuts. The couple has known him since he delivered milk to Betti's childhood farm and to the original Saubel's store on the Susquehanna Trail.

More:Coronavirus counter: Map of Pa. counties, confirmed cases over time, ages of patients

It seems like most everyone still knows him here. Those countless "thank-yous" and short conversations pay him far better than a part-time check, say the ones closest to him.

Baker talked about the secrets to the satisfaction in it all. He mentioned his wife, who he lost 18 years ago, and his daughter, who now lives with him.

Each day is a gift, he just never expected to see so many of them. 

"As long as you stay healthy, keep on working. It’s better than sitting around. ... You sit around, you get too old."