Chenevey retires after 33 years of public service
Carol Chenevey recently retired after 33 years of public service. She began working alongside current auditor Jarra Underwood in the Wayne County Auditor’s Real Estate Department under Sue Ann Fouche in 1984.
Dedicated and professional are just a few words that describe Carol Chenevey, who recently retired from the Wayne County Auditor’s Office Real Estate Department after 33 years of public service.
Chenevey began her career in 1984 when then-auditor Sue Ann Fouche hired her as a temporary employee.
“When I began, Jarra (Underwood) was working here in the real estate department before becoming auditor herself,” Chenevey said. “Jarra is great to work for; she has always cared for her employees and treated us like family. She is such a wonderful person.”
The diversity of the job was a good fit for Chenevey.
“The job entails different things; there is never time to be bored. Deeds are one of the main reasons people come here,” Chenevey said. “There are many different government programs that I work with as well.”
According to Supervisor Diane Schreiner, Chenevey was the glue that held everything together.
“I couldn’t do what I do without everyone working together and doing a wonderful job. It is a well-oiled machine,” Schreiner said. “Carol’s level of customer service has always been very endearing. She is always so pleasant, from how she answers the phone to how she deals with customers in person. She is the best I have ever worked with. She will be missed; she is a critical wheel in the cog.”
Underwood recalled when the two first met.
“Carol and I became quick friends working in the real estate department in the auditor’s office,” she said. “We had children about the same time and have enjoyed sharing parenting stories through the years. After many years we discovered our mutual Shreve roots; that says it all as far as the instant connection we had.”
Chenevey, a detailed note-taker, has amassed a volume of writings and instructions over her 33-year run and plans to turn that information over to her department to help others when questions arise.
“She is the unofficial historian of the real estate department,” Underwood said, my go-to for researching a property’s history.”
The most significant change Chenevey has seen over the years is using technology.
“Computers facilitated the way we get information out,” she said. “People can do searches online and do not have to come into the office as frequently.”
As a horror film fan, Chenevey said one of the highlights of her career was helping the late "Night of the Living Dead" actor Charles (Chuck) Craig when he visited the office.
“'Night of the Living Dead' is my favorite movie,” Chenevey said. “(Craig) came into the office one day, and I went up and started talking to him. He was so pleasant, and he signed a photo for me.”
Underwood finds it comical that Chenevey has a real-life phobia, even though she's a horror film buff.
“She can watch the most frightful and scary movies, but she is afraid of spiders,” Underwood said. “I wouldn’t have expected that.”
In addition to travel, Chenevey hopes to catch some horror movies she has missed over the years as she transitions into retirement.
Dan Starcher is a public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.