Help with retirement party

[BK14]

Like most of us, I wouldn’t want a big retirement party, and wouldn’t want the attention (the soon to be retiree wouldn’t want a big party either, but we want to honor him anyways), so a party is hard for me to plan. Thankfully I’ve got a long time until I need to worry about this for myself.

I’ve been asked to help plan a retirement party for a family member, retiring after 27 years with the PD. Want to find a good balance of having fun, while still being honoring to their service. This will be more of a friends and family thing, as our agency does an internal thing already for other department members.

So, what’re some ideas? Highlights from your own or others retirement parties? Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Tensaw]

My two notes will not be world changing, but it's what I got - having just retired at the end of June.

First, takes lots of photos of the attendees. I did not and I regret that. The retiree should pose with photos with those who showed up to help celebrate.

My retirement shindig was held at the range where we train. That place held some good memories and I/we were at home there. There was a very welcome climate-controlled space for the festivities, but those who wanted to, could go shoot.

[DDTSGM]

You've probably heard stories over the years of calls where the retiree felt they made a difference. Perhaps look up a couple folks who were impacted by the retiree's actions on those calls.

[BK14]

Great idea so far. Thanks guys! Keep ‘em coming!

[psalms144.1]

I "escaped" having a party because (a) COVID, (b) my brother taking our whole family to Africa for my "retirement gift" and (c) my wife's new job kicking her butt.

I did not want a party, but my wife insisted. I do regret that it got cancelled because she had been surfing my work phone for weeks, reaching out to all my contacts, and a surprising number of folks that I really would have loved to have seen had RSVP'd they were going to attend.

What I wanted was to head to the local PD range on a Saturday afternoon - they have plenty of space to set up a grill and some folding tables. What my wife wanted was a formal get together at a local friend's BIG house, with whores-de-vores and fancy napkins. In the end, it was probably a good thing that it needed to be canx'd, to save us from irreconcilable differences...