After 18 years of service, Bob Sprinkel has retired as the Liberty County Assistant County Administrator.
A native of Fincastle, Va., Sprinkel served in the military from Jun. 1972 until Feb. 1993 when he retired as a Command Sgt. Maj. He began working as an Assistant Liberty County Administrator in 2002. During his 18 year service, Sprinkel started programs for youth like the Youth Commission Program, served on various boards and committees, along with working on preparation recovery efforts for disasters, etc.
Sprinkel’s retirement party was held on Feb. 27 at the Liberty County Courthouse Annex and was attended by dozens of family, friends, and co-workers. Many spoke words of admiration and wished him well in his life beyond retirement.
Liberty County Commissioner Chairman Donald Lovette said about Sprinkel, “He actually loves what he does. He loves Liberty County. I tell people also we are blessed as a community to have people like Bob to have come from the military to our community and make our community a better place.”
One thing everyone could agree on was Sprinkel both loved his job and loved Liberty County. They also agreed that he loves people and helping the youth of Liberty County prosper.
Sprinkel said now he is retired, he plans to travel the United States in his RV alongside his wife. He also expressed an interest in learning to fly fish up in Virginia. An American Red Cross employee heard of this interest beforehand and gifted Sprinkel with a fly fishing bait set as a retirement gift. Sprinkel also looks forward to spending more time with his family and grandchildren. Despite no longer working as an assistant administrator, Sprinkel said he plans to do some consulting work on the side though he won’t be actively looking for a job.
And why is Sprinkel, the man who loves Liberty County, retiring? Sprinkel said it was due to health concerns. After suffering a heart attack in August and having a triple heart bypass, Sprinkel was advised by his doctor to “slow down”.
When asked about how it feels to retired Sprinkel laughed and said, “I’ve worked straight for 52 years. I don’t know what it’s going to feel like come Monday morning.”
“Just love Liberty County and it will love you back,” Sprinkel advised his successor, “And the job will be super rewarding. I found this to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life.”