Best wishes, Rachel Harrison

Best wishes on your retirement, ‘Rappin’ Rachel!’

By PATTI STOKES Known locally as “the Encourager,” “Rappin’ Rachel” and “Freestyling Granny,” Rachel Harrison was always ready with a rhyme, rap or jingle when customers went through her checkout line at Summerfield’s Food Lion. Harrison, 69, retired in June after working at the grocery store for over 28 years. Last week, store management invited Harrison to come back to the store, where a station was set up for customers to stop by and give her hugs and well wishes for her new chapter of life. One of 15 kids (she’s No. 12 in the lineup), Harrison said she was “raised right” by parents devoted to church activities and mission work, and they set the example of always caring for others in need. “We grew up ministering to other people,” she said. She describes herself as the only left-handed one of all her siblings, the only one who had to wear glasses, the one with “the skinniest legs and smallest feet” – and the only one who knows how to “freestyle” (she can rattle off a rhyme or make up a humorous rap on the spot – and if given the opportunity, she’ll add a dance to go with it). Always ready with a quip, when asked what prompted her to retire, she answered, “I decided I wasn’t going to die here… although it wouldn’t have been a bad place to die.” Since retiring, Rachel said she’s divided much of her free time between the beach, where she visits with friends, and the mountains. And even though she’s not rapping for customers at the Food Lion anymore, she’s committed to spreading a big dose of positive attitude and enthusiasm everywhere she goes. Look for an article about Rachel Harrison and the positive impact she’s had on co-workers and customers over the years in an upcoming Tire Max “Ordinary people, extraordinary impact” feature in the Northwest Observer.

Photos by Patti Stokes/NWO Recent retiree Rachel Harrison, aka “Rappin’ Rachel,” gets hugs and well wishes from customers and co-workers at Food Lion on U.S. 220 in Summerfield on July 28.