New Jersey Transit clerk retiring after 40 years gets surprise send off from family, coworkers

Thursday, August 31, 2023
NEWARK, N.J. (WABC) -- Coworkers bid farewell to a New Jersey Transit worker Thursday who was retiring after 40 years on the job.

Those who know Lauren Deshong say she's an unsung hero who for years made sure Newark's Penn Station was always running smoothly.
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"She's the person I trust most in the whole station. She's always there for me,"NJ Transit employeeTrishCisney said.

Her daughter orchestrated a surprise farewell so that her colleagues could show her love one last time.

"She's shaped this entire station. If you've ever come through here and seen some of the holiday decorations. That's my mom that's responsible for this. And for some of the planning things that go on, events that happen here," Deshong's daughter Anari Ormond said.
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The 60-year-old senior chief clerk started out in payroll at New Jersey Transit in 1983 and for the last 26 years, she has worked at Newark Penn Station, where her coworkers say she made it feel like home.

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