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Retirement wishes

What to write in a retirement card

In a retirement card, congratulate them, name something specific they did or taught you during their career, and wish them well in what comes next. Mention their actual plans if you know them, like travel, grandkids or the garden. A warm, personal line means more than a general joke about naps.

18 examples below: Short and simple · Heartfelt · Funny · Formal

Short and simple

Good for a big group card or someone you worked with from a distance.

“Congratulations on a career well done. Enjoy every unscheduled Monday.”
“Happy retirement! The next chapter looks good on you.”
“Thank you for all the years of steady, generous work. You’ve earned this.”
“Wishing you long mornings, good books and zero conference calls.”
“Cheers to your retirement and to whatever you decide to do with all that time.”
A sample thank-you card front in our hand-drawn style
A sample card front in our hand-drawn style. The message is written inside with a real pen.

Heartfelt

For a mentor, a close colleague or a parent finishing a long career.

“When I started here I knew nothing, and you never once made me feel it. So much of how I work came from watching you.”
“Dad, thirty-one years of early alarms so we could have everything we needed. Now it’s your turn. Sleep in, go fishing, and let us take you to lunch.”
“You made this team feel like a place people wanted to be. That’s rarer than you know, and it will stay after you’ve gone.”
“I’ll miss our Friday coffee and your terrible puns. I hope the next years are full of the trips you’ve been planning on that sticky note for ages.”
“Thank you for every student you believed in before they believed in themselves. I was one of them.”
“You’ve given your best to this work for so long. I hope retirement gives some of that care back to you.”

Funny

Light teasing works when you know them well and the joke is affectionate.

“Retirement: when every day is Saturday and Saturday is still somehow busy.”
“Congratulations on your promotion to full-time grandparent. The pay is terrible but the benefits are amazing.”
“Who’s going to fix the printer now? Seriously, please leave instructions.”
“Enjoy retirement. We’ll be here, pretending to understand the new software without you.”

Formal

For a boss, a client or a company card.

“On behalf of everyone here, thank you for your many years of dedicated service. We wish you a healthy and rewarding retirement.”
“Your leadership shaped this organization, and your example will continue to guide us. Congratulations on your retirement.”
“It has been a privilege to work alongside you. With warm wishes for the years ahead.”

Do

  • Name one specific contribution, habit or lesson that will be missed.
  • Mention their real plans, like the RV trip, the grandkids or the woodshop.
  • Thank them for something they did for you personally if you can.
  • Keep jokes affectionate and about retirement, not about age.
  • Add a way to stay in touch if you mean it, like an invitation to lunch.

Don’t

  • Don’t joke about them being old, slow or out of touch.
  • Don’t assume retirement was their choice or that they’re thrilled about it.
  • Don’t make it about how much more work everyone else will have now.
  • Don’t write a generic line you could sign for anyone.

How to write it

Open with congratulations. Retirement is an achievement, so say so plainly.

Then make it personal: one memory, one thing they taught you, or what made them good at their job. For a parent, thank them for what their work made possible for the family.

Finish by looking forward. Wish them well with their plans, or with the freedom to figure them out, and sign off with “Congratulations,” “Enjoy every minute” or “With gratitude.”

Questions

Keep it short and sincere: congratulate them, thank them for their work, and wish them well. “Congratulations and thank you for everything you’ve done here. Enjoy what comes next” is plenty.

Yes, if you know them and the joke is warm. Jokes about free time, golf or leaving the printer behind land well. Avoid jokes about age, health or being put out to pasture.

Focus on their contribution and on wishing them well, not on how lucky they are to be free. “Thank you for everything you built here. I hope the next chapter is a good one” is kind without assuming.

Use a formal close such as “With sincere thanks and best wishes,” followed by your name and title or the team’s name.

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