Sometime around 1942, after a large damaging storm, John Roseboro and his brother-in-law went to
the
home of Police Chief Ralph Handsel to do some cleaning work. The Chief was so impressed with John's work
that he asked him to come to work for the Town of Stanley to clean the sidewalks and street in front of the
business district and the Town Hall.
Little did anyone know at the time that John Roseboro and Police Chief Ralph Handsel would both be
remembered for the long period of time that they performed their jobs for the town of Stanley.
He was age 40 when John started to work for Stanley and was married. He and his wife never had
any children, but because of their love for children they kept foster children
in their home for sixteen years and actually adopted a boy and a girl.
In 1987 though retired he was
still working for the town on a part time basis, six days a week, 4 hours each morning starting at
7:00. John liked to brag that he was 84 and still married to the same woman. He
attempted to retire ten years prior and actually stayed home a whole week,
but he was asked to return to his old job because, "they couldn't find anybody to do the work."
John Roseboro often told that he had worked under five mayors,
James Wallace, Slick Rhyne, James Stroupe, Bill Withers, James Stroupe again, and Donald Green.
In the nearly 50 years that John Roseboro worked for the town of Stanley he rarely missed a day of
work. He did take a week off every year though, to go to Tuckers Grove Camp Meeting in Lincoln County.
He and his wife had a tent there. John and his wife are both buried in the Tuckers Grove Methodist Church
Cemetery on Highway 73.
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