Earlier this year, Joy Smith celebrated her retirement after 40 years with the Amtrak railroad service. In August, she came to StoryCorps in Chicago to talk with Bill Edelback, who calls Smith a colleague, a mentor and a fairy godmother. Smith had been a middle school teacher for a decade, but then a big loss sent her toward what would be her life’s work.

Bill Healy produces StoryCorps Chicago for WBEZ and teaches journalism at Northwestern University. Follow him @chicagoan.