Photo by LORETTA JACKSON Joyce Soucy, a lifelong Merrimack resident, scoops french fries into a cardboard pod during one of her last shifts at work before retiring from Burger King in Merrimack at 4 p.m., on Friday, May 4, after 40 years of employment there.

Lay down a path of french fries – end-to-end – around the moon and back. It’s likely that some or the hot rods, upon their return to Earth, were lightly salted, scooped into a cardboard pod, and served to a Burger King customer by Joyce Soucy, of Merrimack.

Soucy, 75, is retiring from the Burger King in Merrimack on Friday after 40 years – and thousands of french fries. She is a lifelong Merrimack resident who worked the job for pocket money, a little extra above the traditional resources accrued through the years.

She is retiring as a cashier at the Burger King store, 2 Continental Boulevard. Soucy has served there since the store opened in 1979.

“I remember every minute of my first day,” said Soucy. “All I did for four hours was scoop french fries, as it was the day after Thanksgiving and it was so busy, so crazy.”

Soucy and other original staffers trained for a week at a Burger King in Concord. They learned about customer service, fry temperatures, portion control and more. Today, Soucy remains friends with a longtime coworker, “Sue,” and enjoys sharing with her occasional shopping trips, movie nights and other opportunities for togetherness.

“My original crew of coworkers – we helped raise each other’s kids,” said Soucy. “We were a good support group for each other.”

Soucy is the mother of four grown daughters and the widow of Robert “Paul” Soucy. She said he had many skills but was renowned locally for joining the Merrimack Fire department as a volunteer who became the first fireman to be hired by the department. Twenty years of service saw him attain the rank of Captain. He passed of cancer in 2004.

Soucy perused a vintage newspaper that reported the store’s opening in December of 1979. The Village Crier reported the store as the “world’s largest Burger King” at the time. The chain was founded in Miami in 1954.

Eventually, entrepreneur David Murray opened 28 franchises in New Hampshire and one Burger King store in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Soucy noted.

“A complete demo of an earlier building led to the construction of the Burger King that’s here today,” Soucy said. “I was hired on the spot, one of 186 people who were interviewed under a tent because the building wasn’t finished.”

Kathryn Gerry, of Manchester, is shift leader at Merrimack’s Burger King. She has 10 years with the company, mostly working alongside Soucy. When it comes to reliability, Gerry said that few can compare to Joyce Soucy. She added that the new retiree is affectionately referred to as “everyone’s grandma.”

“Joyce has seen it all and done it all here,” Gerry said. “She has worked in every station, from the kitchen to the drive-thru to the front counter and, still, she will make someone a cake for their birthday.”

Aniciya Soto, of Merrimack, was on duty as word spread that everyone’s grandma would be retiring as of Friday, May 4. The lunch crowd was ebbing. Burgers and fries and soft drinks by the dozens had been tallied at the cash register during Soucy’s regular shift, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Now, Soto had time for a comment.

“I’m really sad,” said Soto. “Joyce is awesome, as she comes in here always in a good mood, always smiling. I can’t believe she’s leaving.”

Concurring with Soto’s sentiment were staff on hand, including Faith Lomwe, of Merrimack; Roberto Arroyo, of Worcester, Massachusetts; Brandon Martins, of Merrimack; Nathaly Lopez, of Nashua; and others who wished Soucy good fortune and some quality leisure time.

Travel, visiting grandkids and socializing with the Merrimack Seniors Club, a local 55-and-over beehive of activities, are on the post-retirement agenda, Soucy said.

The close proximity of the restaurant to the Frederick E. Everett Turnpike and other roads have made Burger King, over the years, an easy stop for vast numbers of locals and other travelers. Most who visited during Soucy’s shift, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., have received, upon paying for their meals, a handful of change – and a Soucy smile.

Soucy said her service to thousands of Burger King patrons over 40 years stems from a strong work ethic. She previously worked for a grocery store for 15 years. In addition, she once worked after high school at the concession stand of a local drive-in movie. A graduate of Merrimack High School’s class of 1960, Soucy was rarely idle.

“A guy called me for a date but I knew I had to work at the concession stand,” she recalled. “I was telling him that maybe I could call in and get off work.”

The idea was squelched even as it was voiced. Her father had overheard the conversation.

“My dad said, ‘You’re going to work,'” Soucy said. “That was my first experience in job commitment.”