With nearly 50 years of service to Batavia under his belt, Bob Popeck is retiring from “the longest job I ever held in my life.”

He has worn many hats during his tenure. Popeck began with the city as a paid-on-call fireman in 1959, before his status changed to full-time firefighter —  one of only three full-time firefighters who worked for the city. In 1963, he transferred to the Batavia Police Department and assumed the role of police chief in 1970, a position he held for 10 years.

In the early 1980s, Popeck took on the role he has held ever since: administrative assistant to Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke.

“It was a new position created and they offered it to me; and I decided to try it,” Popeck said.

While he has watched Batavia’s population grow, Popeck misses what he calls the “old-time small town flavor.”

“In my early days, you knew every clerk in the store and every clerk knew you,” he said. “Now, it’s a much larger city.”

City officials, employees and friends gathered last week to bid farewell to Popeck.

Schielke said Popeck may well be the longest-serving employee in the city’s history.

“His face has become synonymous with Batavia,” Schielke said. “He’s the one person who, in the early days, when people called the city they always knew to ask for Bob.”

Alderman Tom Schmitz has his own fond memories of Popeck, who he’s known his whole life and calls “a great guy.”

“He took the pictures at my wedding in 1962,” Schmitz said.

Police Chief Gary Schira said Popeck is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the city’s history.

“He truly loves Batavia and always will,” Schira said. “It’s nice to see someone give that much time and commitment to the city.”

Popeck was instrumental in creating a museum of windmill history for Batavia. During the past 20 years, with Popeck’s help, Batavia has placed 16 historic windmills — each manufactured during Batavia’s commercial infancy.

He also helped create the Tri-Com Emergency Dispatch Center, designed to answer emergency calls for police, fire and ambulance services in Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles.

Popeck was also a member of the city’s sesquicentennial committee and is chairing the planning committee for Batavia’s 175th anniversary this year.

He served on the board of the Batavia Historical Society from 1987 to 1996, and as the group’s president between 1992 and 1996. He is a founding member of the Batavia Kiwanis Club.

He was also recently named the city’s Citizen of the Year.

After retirement, he jokes, “for the first 28 days I’m not going to do anything.”

“Then I’ll pick it up and start doing something,” he said.

That something could include traveling and working on home projects.

He said his retirement is bittersweet.

“I’m ready to leave, but not quite ready to leave,” he said.

Popeck will especially miss his daily contact with citizens.

“The enjoyable part of my job is to help people [handle] their problems within the town,” he said. “I’ll miss that contact.

“I felt like I knew a lot of people and a lot of people knew me.”