After a Hectic Year, Couple With Decades of Service Retire from Abington Hospital

Following a hectic, COVID-19-defined year, Chuck and Debbie McClinton have decided to retire from Abington Hospital after decades of service, writes Beccah Hendrickson for 6abc.

The couple has been connected to the hospital their entire lives. Debbie was born in the hospital, as were the pair’s children. Chuck has been working at Abington in operations for 44 years, while Debbie has been a nurse there for 31 years.

What kept them was “the people and the philosophy of working together for the benefit of the patients,” said Debbie.

They had begun to consider retirement just before the pandemic hit. Then things became hectic, especially for Debbie.

“I knew she was on the frontlines,” said Chuck. “It was very hectic, very stressful knowing that she was in battle.”

The battle against the coronavirus had been ongoing for more than a year. But when the community slowly started to become safer, the couple knew it was time to retire.

“We just decided to pick a date and run with it, and that’s what we did,” said Chuck. “There was no looking back.”

Last Friday, they walked out of work together for the last time.

Read more about the couple with dedicated decades of service at 6abc.