Local pest control owner looks forward to retirement in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, Texas — If you’ve lived in San Angelo for any stretch of time, you probably recognize Patsy McIntire.

Similar to when a good character actor unexpectedly pops up in a movie: you may not know them by name, but they always make the movie a little better.

McIntire has been the face of Bug Express for 36 years now, taking care of the creepy-crawlies most people would rather not see or think about, and always somehow with a big, welcoming smile.

The bad news is she’s retiring. The good news is you’ll still be seeing her around town, making San Angelo a little better.

“I came here to finish college and I’ve been here longer than the little town I grew up in,” McIntire said. “It’s like everybody else, they fall in love with San Angelo. The people, the atmosphere, the weather.”

After three decades-plus of fighting on the front lines of pest control, she’s seen some… things.

“I wish I could remember all of them. Everything from a squirrel in a commode, to opening up cabinets where it was like a bad Steven Spielberg movie with all of the roaches coming out of it.”

As far as her plans go for retirement, it’s likely that the only squirrels she’ll be dealing with now will be the ones safely away from indoor plumbing, in a tree, watching her tee off on the links.

“Golf. Golf and travel. All kinds of fun stuff. We can get into a lot of mischief. Looking forward to it 100-percent,” McIntire said. “But that doesn’t mean they’ve gotten rid of me up here and everything. I’ll still be at a lot of the functions, like the Chamber, and other associations and everything like that. The Home Builders and realtors and everything.”

And she said of course she’ll miss her customers.

“Wow. Basically, thanks for all the support. And all the loyalty. It’s been fantastic. We still have some of my original customers from when I started in October of ’87. We have a bunch of them. It’s a great group of people. Always has been.”

Advice to new local small business owners who would like to be retiring from their own business in 36 years?

“You know, do what you promise. Stand by your work,” McIntire said. “Integrity is something nobody can take away from you. So stand by your integrity. That’s the best thing moving forward. You know, you kind of promise a lot and deliver more. But it’s well worth it. It’s well worth it.”

An open-to-the-public retirement party is planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Bug Express office, 2210 Austin St.

“Any and all, it’s from 11 to 3 and it’s come-and-go,” McIntire said. “The more the merrier.”