Ruth Gerdon, Clallam County’s elected treasurer since 1989, will retire Dec. 31, a decision that comes as a result of her treatment for lymphoma.
“It was a tough decision,” the amiable, straight-talking Gerdon said in her office Tuesday.
“Since I was diagnosed with cancer in December I have thought about it.
“It puts a different perspective on life, even though it’s in remission . . . They didn’t tell me I was cured. It’s in remission.”
Clallam County commissioners, who under the county charter are responsible for appointing Gerdon’s successor, will discuss the treasurer’s retirement and their next move at a work session Monday, said County Administrator Dan Engelbertson.
Gerdon, who turns 65 on Sept. 16, said her age made the timing right for retirement, one that she hopes will be spent on the road with her husband, Kermit, beginning with visits with family and friends in the Southwest and Gulf Coast.