PORT ANGELES — Lindy Clevenger is retiring as Clallam County Superior Court administrator after 43 years with the county.
“I decided to retire for my 66th birthday,” Clevenger said Friday.
“I’ve had a good job. I’ve worked with excellent people. That’s why I stayed so long.”
Clevenger’s last day will be this coming Friday. Lacey Fors, presently the deputy court administrator, will take over as court administrator June 26.
On Tuesday, the Clallam County commissioners will honor her for her service at 10 a.m. in Room 106 of the courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., in Port Angeles.
Clevenger’s work led to the state reimbursing Clallam County $500,000 of the $1.1 million spent to prosecute and convict again double murderer Darold R. Stenson in 2013 in what became the most expensive legal case in county history.
Clevenger raced the clock to submit a voluminous 992-page, 11-pound petition for the funds before the December deadline after a Kitsap County jury convicted Stenson for the murders that Nov. 12, said then-Judge George L. Wood, who has since retired.
“I really give her a lot of praise for putting it together,” Wood said in April 2014. “This wouldn’t have happened without her.”
Clevenger — who goes by Lindy but whose full name is Melinda — is a recognized leader in court administration, Fors said in a news release, having earned a court manager certification from the National Center for State Courts and served as a member of the Association of Washington Superior Court Administrators and the National Association of Credit Management and as a board member of the Port Angeles Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center.
Clevenger began her career with Clallam County in 1974 when she began working as a clerk with the Superior Court clerk’s office. She was appointed to the position of Clallam County Superior Court administrator in 1997.
She has been at the forefront of many changes in the court during her tenure, including technological changes, Fors said.
For example, she was instrumental when she, along with county information technology staff, developed a web-based calendar to assist the court in scheduling trials, hearings and other proceedings. The calendar remains in use today.
Although Clevenger looks forward to a change of pace and a chance to pursue personal interests, she said she will miss her co-workers.
“I have known Lindy for nearly 25 years,” said presiding Judge Erik Rohrer. “I rely on her expertise and ‘institutional memory’ on a daily basis. In addition to being a talented and experienced court administrator, she has a positive outlook and congenial manner that make her fun to work with.
“We will miss her very much but wish her the best as she begins this exciting new chapter in her life.”
Lindy is a Port Angeles High School graduate and has been with her high school sweetheart, John “Skeets,” since she was 17. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.
In addition to spending time with family, Lindy enjoys relaxing at their lake cabin, bunko, yoga and classic cars.
