On-the-job back injury forces his retirement

Cyrus Fannett, 66, keeps his mind sharp working on word search puzzle books.

“I worked for the city for years. At one point, there were two bosses I had to work under. One would tell me one thing, and then here comes the other telling me something different. I decided that the best option was just to do it my way, and I usually got it right.”

What led to your retirement?
“I was running a dozer and was putting it up on this trailer, chaining it down, when I heard something pop back there. I said, well, I’m going to have to see the doctor. He said I had two popped disks and I had to have surgery. Pretty much anytime you hurt your back like that, they can’t use you any more. So I had medical retirement right after the surgery.

“That was about 11 years ago. It still bothers me every once in a while. My doctor tells me that if I pick up something over 35 pounds, I’ll be back in the hospital again and need more surgery. Basically, I just live with it and try not to think about it.”

— Cyrus Fannett