Kathy Garner is a maintenance clerk at the Lindsey State Jail in Jacksboro, TX. She’s worked at the facility for 24 years.

“I love it,” she says, “I do. It’s a nice, steady job, and I work with guys who appreciate me. They appreciate what I do for them. And we all get along, and it’s a small atmosphere. And I love it. I really do.”

“She’s a lady that you can depend on,” says Warden Grady Wallace. “She’s going to come to work, she’s going to do her job. And, at the same time, she’s going to let you know exactly what she thinks. I appreciate that.”

Outside of work, Kathy has a passion for quilting.

“It’s a hobby, yes,” she relates. “And I quilt with friends at certain times of the month, but, mostly, I quilt at home at my kitchen table by myself. I’ll put a book in. I listen to audiobooks, and get a book going, and sit there and sit there, until I finally say, ‘Kathy, go to bed’.”

Kathy is also passionate about community service. Warden Wallace explains.

“She’s been a pillar in the community. She is very dedicated to doing things for the community. She volunteers her time on a continual basis.”

Kathy is very involved in the local food bank and has been since it was started by one of her friends.

“It’s a rewarding job,” she says, “and it makes me feel good. And I feel good every time I walk in the door, and a whole lot better when I walk out.”

To Warden Wallace, Kathy Garner represents everything good in an employee. And she’s not alone. He has been deeply impressed with his staff, especially as Lindsey State Jail has navigated through these extremely difficult times.

“Through these times, the pandemic that we’ve had, the staffing issues that we’ve had here at our facility, it’s refreshing to see how hard our staff works. I mean, as they say, ‘in tough times, the cream rises to the top’. And we’ve had a lot of staff that have really stepped it up.”