By LUISA LOI

Special to The Record

Behind the neatly displayed products lining the shelves of Rite Aid in Freeland, there is a woman who’s been doing the job for two decades.

When Stacie Lanners graduated from South Whidbey High School and prepared to venture through the intricacies of finding employment as a person with special needs, she was expected to only be able to do simple cleaning tasks.

Today, the Clinton resident is a friendly and beloved face among the pharmacy’s regulars who stop by on Thursday and Friday mornings, when they can find her stocking, sweeping, taking care of garbage, picking up mail, pulling products to the front of the shelf and directing disoriented folks to the item they’re looking for.

Despite her autism, cerebral palsy and aphasia, a disorder that affec

See Full Page