The Albany Ronald McDonald House is saying goodbye to a pillar who has been there since its doors opened in 1981.

“It hasn’t been a job,” Debbie Ross said. “It’s really been a wonderful journey.”

After more than 40 years, the house director is retiring.

“They called me up and said, 'We have no money, we’re a brand new nonprofit, grassroots Ronald McDonald House,” she recalled. “Would you be our house manager?'”

The house is a yellow Victorian on South Lake Avenue in Albany that would serve a retreat for families with sick children receiving care at Albany Medical Center.

Not only was Ross the house manager, she was the resident house manager, which meant she and her family lived on the third floor.

“What a privilege to get up in the middle of the night when a family needs to get to the hospital or they get an emergency call from the hospital,” Ross said. “It’s really been a privilege to serve.”

Ross oversaw the house’s first expansion, doubling the organization's capacity in the Capital City and another in 2015, bringing it to its current 25-bedroom capacity.

“We always say that with out three Victorian homes, there is mustard, ketchup and relish,” she said.

Over the course of 41 years, Ross welcomed more than 23,000 families to the houses, where she has witnessed miracles.

“We’ve also had loss in this house,” Ross said. “But there is love in the walls here, and there is support and comfort.”

Prior to her retirement, Ross was the longest-serving house director across the Ronald McDonald House network which spans nearly 50 countries.

“I’ve experienced some of the greatest heroes,” she said.

But it’s the children and their stories Ross will cherish most.

“The children leave and imprint on your heart,” she said. “Those memories never fade, they’re always with you.”