Front desk Chief: Lemer retires from Chieftain after 40 years

It took a few relocations and different job descriptions along the way, but once Linda Lemer decided to put down roots, she settled in for the long haul.

And 40 years later, she's now ready to take on the next challenges and adventures in her life with her husband, Joel.

Lemer is retiring from the Chieftain Conference Center's front desk, having put in her four full decades of service exactly on October 3.

"There have been a lot of good employees here, along with meeting great guests from around the state, the country, and the world," Linda says.

She grew up in Orrin, a small town just over 20 miles southwest of Rugby, and graduated from Rugby High School in 1974.

Lemer would attend Minot Business College for one year before entering the workforce, and took her first job at the Minot Daily News as an advertising representative.

"We'd take ads over the phone, and had to make sure the spelling was correct," she laughed.

After that, she moved to Fargo and worked in what she termed "more of a filing clerk-type thing" at Mobility, Inc.

Linda married Joel Lemer in 1976, and they relocated to Elgin, where she worked at Jacobson Memorial Hospital as a laboratory technician.

The final move of their lives came in 1982, when Joel was hired as the vocational agriculture instructor at CHS, and Linda began work at the Chieftain.

"And we've been here ever since," she said with a smile.

Later, Joel served as NDSU Foster County Extension Agent upon retiring from teaching, and he still is a member of the Carrington school board.

Linda worked for the motel when it was under the ownership of Christ and Betty Klein, and later under their son and daughter-in-law, Frank and Lorie. In 2021, the Klein family sold the Chieftain to Arun and Anna Subbiah.

In her long tenure here, Lemer has witnessed many changes at the Chieftain Conference Center, most notably the expansion of the complex to the sports bar in the 1990's, and major renovations and updates to the motel and conference areas.

From here, Linda says she will begin tackling her "bucket list," which includes getting things done around the house, and also doing a bit more traveling with her new-found free time.

She and Joel will also plan to spend more outings at their lake home on Stump Lake north of Tolna.

"Thank you to my employers for all they've done to make my time here a fulfilling experience," she said.