Nancy Mead retired for the third time last Friday. And at 91 years old, she figures this time it is for real.

Then again, Benny’s has been like family since she started working at the Meadowbrook store in 1960. At that time Nancy had five children and she needed a little extra money to buy Christmas presents. It wasn’t a career move. She came from a big family and she had a big family. But that “temporary job” became permanent after her sixth child was born.

Nancy was back at the store Friday with a huge contingent of Meads. This time a tiny microphone poked out from the fold of her white blouse. She was wearing a wireless and a nearby TV cameraman was recording her every word and move.

Nancy was at center stage, smiling, eyes twinkling, and remembering stories, many of them involving the Benny’s clan of Brombergs and co-workers who gathered around the front of the Wilde’s Corner store, which opened when Meadowbrook closed and that plaza was rebuilt.

Arnold Bromberg, who worked with Nancy, called her “the voice of reason with a smile.” He recalled the attention she devoted to the candy table that was always a center attraction before the opening of a show at the nearby Meadowbrook Cinema, which was also victim to the reconstruction of the plaza with its strip stores and eventually relocation of Stop & Shop from across Warwick Avenue.

Candy was always cheaper at Benny’s and moviegoers would rush in to stock up moments before show time. Nancy made sure the table was organized so customers could find what they wanted without the slightest delay.

As if magnetically drawn, she gravitated to the table and, subconsciously, all the time answering reporters’ questions, neatly arranged the colorfully wrapped bars of Almond Joy and Mounds and tempting delights.

Did she have a favorite?

She looked down, suddenly realizing what she had been doing instinctively. Nancy isn’t a fan of candy. A thought came to mind.

“I’m lucky to still have my teeth,” she said.

She has a lot more than teeth. She has a remarkable memory of events, faces and names.

“She knew the names of customers, their kids, and even their dogs,” said Mike Carducci, one of several Wilde’s Corner managers who Nancy worked with over the years. “She was always there to help. That’s the drive she has.”

Nancy recalled the Blizzard of 1978, which brought the state to a standstill for more than a week. It didn’t stop the Meadowbrook Benny’s from opening.

Nancy has lived for years on Royland Road just off Warwick Avenue. A few of the major roads had been partially plowed, but with the side roads blocked by drifts and trapped cars, there was virtually no traffic. She remembers people walked to Almacs at Hoxsie Four Corners and, of course, to Benny’s at the other end of Warwick Avenue. Somehow, store manager Ken Scott had gotten his car on the road and gave Nancy a lift to the store. Batteries, candles and, predictably, snow shovels were in demand.

“It was a bad time,” Nancy said thoughtfully, “but it was a fun time.”

At the age of 62, Nancy decided it was time to retire. But like her first decision to give up working at Benny’s to put aside some Christmas money, it didn’t last long. Benny’s asked her to work part time. She started off with 24 hours a week, which over the next 29 years was reduced to 10 hours. She continues to drive – she didn’t get her license until she was 43 – although she isn’t out on the road at night. She aims to see more of her extended family, which includes 14 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and scores of nieces, nephews and grand- and great-nieces and -nephews.

“I can tell you, you lose track, there are so many weddings,” she said.

Nancy – she’ll let you know that that is a nickname for her given name, Ann – harkens back to simpler times. She married Richard, who she met in ninth grade at St. Paul School in Edgewood. They tied the knot when she was 22 after he returned from the battlefield. He served on the European front during World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He earned a degree at Bryant College, but loved manual work and ended up driving a truck for many years.

“You did what you could. It was a different time. I think it was better,” she said.

Richard died at the age of 54 in a work-related accident.

Nancy remembers a time when children used to play in the streets and neighbors gathered to talk over their fences. People today, she notes, spend their time on their cell phones. She moves her thumbs to mimic texting.

Nancy is happy to have her family, her former co-workers at Benny’s, and all the customers who she has come to know. She is also happy to have her health and to be alive at this time.

“I’m glad I’m on this end [of life],” she said.