Paulette Quinn strives to make everyone else’s day just a little better.

“I love people,” says the Dwight woman, whose smiling face has greeted customers at the Huntsville A&P grocery store for more than 18 years. “I hate seeing anyone in a bad mood, and I try to give them something positive so they walk away happier.”

For example, when parents come through the checkout with young children, Quinn focuses on the little ones to help speed up the process.

“If you pay attention to the children, parents can do what they need to do,” she says. “Anyway, kids and I go hand in hand.”

Children aren’t the only ones with whom Quinn enjoys interacting, though. Regular customers are a particularly important part of her daily work rhythm.

“One man comes in every day for a newspaper, and another always tells me about his trips,” she explains. “They become part of your life. When you don’t see them you start to wonder where they are.”

Quinn says she always notices when the snowbirds leave town and looks forward to their return.

And four years ago, when she had to miss work due to a broken wrist, she discovered her customers felt the same way about her.

“I was sitting in the mall having coffee,” she recalls, “and lots of people came up and asked me what had happened. Then when I got back to work, they told me they were happy to see me back.”

Working at the A&P is a joy, says Quinn, adding, “We have a great clientele. Our customers are like our family to us.”

Another “big family” for Quinn is the congregation at the Huntsville Salvation Army church.

“They’re just a great bunch of people,” she says.

As head of her church’s community care ministry, Quinn visits those who are sick, grieving or otherwise require support.

Faith is a central part of Quinn’s life. At 10 each evening, without fail, she and her husband William sit at their kitchen table reading the Bible, doing their devotions and praying.

“I live my life for the Lord,” she says.

Quinn also lives for her family. She married William at 18 and they have been living on the same property in Dwight for 37 years.

They have two grown children, William and Pamela, and two “wonderful” grandchildren, Vanessa and Alexander, who live in Durham, a 3.5-hour drive away.

“We get to see them every other month,” she says. “It’s hard, really it is. Six times a year is not enough.”

Quinn and her husband recently bought a travel trailer and have been enjoying camping with it, alone and with their grandchildren.

“When my husband’s retirement comes in two years, I will have to take a little more time off from the A&P store,” she says, adding that in the past she has taken just one week of her allotted holidays each year.

Speaking of the future, Quinn is optimistic about the direction in which both Dwight and Huntsville are headed. “They are growing rapidly, and I’m happy to see it,” she says. “The economy is thriving.”

Asked whether she is concerned about the area losing its small-town charm, she says, “You can make a town what you want it to be. The key is to get involved in different activities. Then it won’t feel so big.”

Quinn would like to see more activities for young people. She is thrilled about the construction of the Rotary Youth Park and hopes young people will take advantage of it.

“I would also like to see families doing more things together,” she comments. “It would help with society’s problems.”

After a moment of reflection, she shares the message of a recent guest speaker at her church.

“He said, ‘Build a bridge and get over it,’” Quinn says. “I think this applies to everyone. If we all build a bridge, we can get over anything.”

Is there someone you’d like to see profiled in this space? Please call Paula at 789-5541 or e-mail pboon@metrolandnorthmedia.com.