MILFORD — Her co-workers at Milford Hospital like having Kay Provencher around.

The staff of the medical records department feted the 88-year-old Provencher, a volunteer for the past 10 years, with a proclamation and a table full of pastry on Friday.

While the retired office worker insisted that she was "no big deal," her co-workers took turns praising the active senior.

"Kay is an inspiration to our department," secretary Donna Taylor said. "She comes in every Friday morning and does a good morning's worth of work without getting paid for it."

But there was another reason for honoring the volunteer records clerk. "Kay is the only volunteer who caught on to what we do here," said records technician Sherrie Moyher.

"I was just looking for something to do," said the grandmother of two. Provencher is also a part-time crossing guard for the Milford public schools. "I was familiar with bookkeeping so I thought I'd do this."

The Bridgeport native had worked for the old Connecticut National Bank and later for a medical practice doing billing and coding. "Bridgeport was a great place to grow up," Provencher said. "I graduated from Harding High and I remember reading the Bridgeport Herald every Sunday. Harry Neigher wrote up all the dirt," she said of the defunct scandal sheet.

A resident of the Black Rock section of Bridgeport until recently, Provencher now lives at Foran Towers, apartments for seniors on High Street in Milford, and drives herself to her many appointments.

"They don't treat me like an old lady in here," Provencher said of her co-workers. "They treat me like one of them; I like that."

But the vivacious widow wasn't the only hospital volunteer Friday with ties to the Park City. Jim Santo, a retired educator who taught in several Bridgeport schools, has logged more than 900 hours in less than three years as a patient escort. Wearing his blue volunteer jacket and waiting in the lobby, Santo said he chose the hospital to volunteer in because he knows many nurses.

"But also, I wasn't a fan of hospitals and I thought that this would be a good way to get over my apprehension," Santo said.