By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Town Clerk’s Office will never be the same.

Assistant Town Clerk Diane Hammerbeck retired last week after working for the town for the past 30 years. Before being appointed to the assistant town clerk position in 2005, Hammerbeck worked in the Tax Collector’s Office for a few years and worked for the Building Department as the secretary for the Zoning Board of Appeals.

“I think I have served the town well and have done everything to the best of my ability,” said Hammerbeck. “I have always treated people as I would want to be treated — with respect and courtesy. I feel like I can end this chapter of my life feeling like I did the best I could.”

The Dewing Road resident noted that the Town Clerk’s Office is responsible for overseeing all of the elections held in Lynnfield.

“The Clerk’s office is responsible for overseeing all of the town’s elections, including mailing out absentee and early voting ballots and processing them when they are returned to the office,” said Hammerbeck. “Census records are kept in the Clerk’s Office as well as a file of all registered voters. Voter registration also takes place in the Clerk’s Office.”

RETIRED ASSISTANT TOWN CLERK DIANE HAMMERBECK

Hammerbeck also helped keep track of important records.

“All of the town’s important records are kept in a vault in the Town Clerk’s Office,” said Hammerbeck. “Those records include Town Meeting records as well as minutes of the Town Meetings. The Town Clerk’s Office also keeps marriage and death records dating back to the 1800s.”

Hammerbeck said the Town Clerk’s Office keeps copies of meeting notices that are posted on the town’s website and as well as at municipal buildings. She has also helped Town Clerk Linda Emerson issue and verify signatures for nomination papers pulled by candidates running for office as well as citizen’s petitions for Town Meeting.

Additionally, Hammerbeck said the Town Clerk’s Office has “two commissioners who can swear in people who have been recently appointed as a Notary Public.”

“This is a great service for local people so they do not have to travel to Boston to be sworn in,” said Hammerbeck. “We are also Notary Publics, which is a great service to townspeople who need to have a document notarized.”

Hammerbeck said the most enjoyable aspect of serving as assistant town clerk was working with people.

“I have always really enjoyed being around people, and I enjoy helping people,” said Hammerbeck. “I try my best to get people the information and answers that they are looking for, and I will go out of my way to help them find what they are looking for. I enjoy researching the old records while trying to find out if someone’s family member may or may not have been a resident way back when. I also enjoy trying to find out if someone’s grandparents or great-grandparents lived in Lynnfield or were born or passed away in Lynnfield. We get lots of calls and people coming in trying to find old relatives for genealogy purposes.”

Hammerbeck said she is going to miss her former colleagues immensely.

“Town Hall has been my home away from home for the last 30 years,” said Hammerbeck. “I will miss my work family the most and the people that I’ve worked with in the past who have already retired. We’ve all been through a lot over the years, some good things and some not so good things, but we’ve always been there for each other in our time need or a family or personal crisis. My hope is that the friendships we have developed will continue on for many years.”

Hammerbeck will also miss all of the residents she has had “the pleasure of serving the last 30 years.”

“I have met a lot of great people in town over the years and I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends,” said Hammerbeck.

Town Clerk Linda Emerson said she is going to miss working with Hammerbeck.

“Diane is one of the nicest and kindest people you would find anywhere,” said Emerson. “When residents call, she listens, she cares and she is helpful. I hope Diane has a great retirement. I am going to miss her, and I am so happy for her.”

Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin agreed.

“I have known Diane since she started working at Town Hall,” said Curtin. “Whether I worked as a reporter or in my current position, Diane was always helpful and always had a smile on her face.”

Town Administrator Rob Dolan said Hammerbeck and her husband, Keith, had close to 75 years of experience working for the town. Keith retired from the DPW recently.

“Diane was an incredible employee,” said Dolan. “I want to wish her and Keith a long and healthy retirement.”

Hammerbeck said she and Keith are planning on undertaking some home improvement projects as well as do some traveling.

“We’d like to see more of the United States,” said Hammerbeck. “There are so many beautiful places to see in this country that we have not seen, and I would love to see and photograph those places. I have always enjoyed taking pictures even as a kid, and it has become my favorite hobby. I love nature and I really enjoy nature photography and taking long walks in the woods. I also have a lot of wildlife visiting my own yard almost daily, so I really don’t have to go far some days. I can just sit on my deck and see what comes along.”

Hammerbeck also hopes to resume volunteering for PAWS of Wakefield.

“I have volunteered for PAWS of Wakefield for many years,” said Hammerbeck. “I spent hours upon hours trapping cats and kittens, and spent many hours caring for hundreds of cats over the years and probably have saved many little lives. I had to take a step back from volunteering for a while as I was starting to get burned out. I feel better now that I have had a break, and I hope to resume fostering and get back into trapping and rescuing.”