She got just two days notice that the shop in Blandford Forum, Dorset, was shutting for good.
Jill, who started at the branch aged 14 as a hobnail boot cleaner and postponed her honeymoon to go on a training course, is now out of work for the first time.
And on her last day, scores of customers dropped in to say thank you and farewell.
Jill, who had gone part-time in recent years, said: “We were all told last Thursday that we were closing on the Monday.
“It gave us all a bit of a shock. I felt well in myself and I was hoping I was going to do another few years before I retired. It is a real shame. Monday was overwhelming, I had so many people bringing in flowers and chocolates. I’ve helped so many customers over the years and some people were nearly in tears.
“In some instances I have helped four generations in the same family to size their shoes. I think now I’m going to have a rest and go to the beach more. I won’t be travelling anywhere to work. I will do charity work.
“I loved the job, it was my life. I lived there above the shop for years and brought my son Jason up there. He would be in his playpen next to me while I was fitting shoes. You can count on one hand the number of sick days I’ve taken in all my years at Clarks.
“In 1969 I got married on a Saturday and I was doing the training course two days later on the Monday. My honeymoon had to wait.”
Jill’s jobs included buffing those hobnail boots that hung on poles outside the shop. She said: “My first wage was £1, 9 shillings and 11 pence a week, giving my mum the £1, with the rest for myself.”
She also had long stints as manager and master shoe fitter – and modelling the latest footwear in the 1970s.
She lost husband David in 2016 and was furloughed for three months in 2020 during a Covid lockdown. But the widow returned to the shopfloor as soon as she could. Her devotion went as far as never taking holidays and walking her dog past rivals.
Jill once said: “I do like to go and check out the opposition!” Now she says: “I will miss it but I don’t want to start again now.”
Clarks said: “We’d like to thank our loyal customers who have shopped with us at our Blandford store, and we’ll be delighted to continue to serve them online and at our nearby Clarks stores.
“We sincerely thank all members of the store team for their commitment to providing outstanding customer service.
“We would specifically like to thank Jill, whose unprecedented 68 years of service and dedication to the our customers is hugely valued by all at Clarks.”
