After more than 1,500 Mondays on the same job, Ann Hardy could be forgiven for an occasional day when she dreaded starting another work week.

So far, it hasn’t happened.

“She has the best attitude of any employee I’ve ever seen,” said Suzy Mayer, director of therapy services at Methodist Rehabilitation Center (MRC) in Jackson. “She truly loves what she does.”

The most recent recipient of MRC’s Support Services Employee of the Year, Hardy’s devotion is well documented. She was among the center’s first rehab aides, and she has always treated the job like a calling.

“When I first started working here in 1975, I just got attached,” Hardy said. “I loved the patients, and I just wanted to stay. I think it’s where God put me.”

Hardy assists the physical and occupational therapists as they work with patients to achieve their goals. And her experience makes her a trusted resource in the therapy gym.

“She has been here so long her knowledge base goes beyond what her job scope is,” Mayer said. “She is well respected by all the therapists.”

Hardy is motivated by an unflagging desire to help people, whether it’s sharing a kind word in a moment of crisis or digging into her own pocket to provide material needs. “I love doing whatever I can to make them happy,” Hardy said. “When patients come in depressed and you talk to them and see a smile on their face — that’s a blessing.”

Now that she’s 61, Hardy realizes that retirement is in the wings. And she likes the idea of more time to spend with her 5-year-old grandson. “But I’m not the sort of person who sits around the house,” she said.

Indeed, she’s not the sort of person who sits around at all. She often picks up additional shifts when the nursing area needs help. And she has a part-time job at the Wal-Mart in Pearl. “She has boundless energy,” Mayer said. And it seems some of it rubs off on her patients.

“She inspires them to do better,” Mayer said. “When they come back, they always want to show Ann what they’ve achieved.”