After 61 years, he hasn't bugged out yet
Johnny Ciccierllo, 83, of Smithtown has chased termites for Terminix for the past 61 years. (October 2010) Credit: John Dunn
When we called Johnny Ciccierllo one afternoon last week, his wife, Mary, asked us to hold the line. Her husband was 25 feet up in a tree in the backyard of their Smithtown home, doing some limb cutting.
That may not sound all that unusual. Until you know that Ciccierllo will be 84 years old in November. Even that may not sound too unusual until you know more. Ciccierllo is still chasing termites for Terminix, a job he has held for 61 years.
"What am I going to do," he said when asked why he still works, even though now only two or three days a week. "Lose my mind at home?"
Harry Truman was in the White House when Ciccierllo began working for Terminix in the East New York section of Brooklyn in 1949. Back then, he fixed beams and other wood as well as got rid of the pesky termites. Now, it's just termites.
Chad Gilbert, a spokesman for the Memphis-based company, said Ciccierllo is the oldest and longest-serving employee. He "retired" at age 62 and got a watch. But his retirement was only from full-time work. Ciccierllo works for the company in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Ciccierllo said he wants to keep working another few years. He has a philosophy: "You don't make a big deal out of things. If a customer has a problem, you try to solve it for them."
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