NBC/CNBC reported that when Melba was around traditional retirement age, she considered leaving.
William Dillard reportedly told her that she could continue working for as long as she wanted.
Melba explained that she still enjoyed the job but no longer wanted to work nights and Sundays.
Her schedule was adjusted.
Later, standing on hard flooring for hours became more uncomfortable. According to the same account, carpeting was eventually placed behind the cosmetics counter.
These may seem like modest changes.
But they illustrate an important part of the story.
Long careers aren't sustained only by employee loyalty. They can also depend on whether workplaces are willing to recognize that people's circumstances change.
Melba wanted to continue working.
Her employer found ways to make that possible.
The Decision to Finally Retire
Eventually, however, even Melba decided it was time.
By 2023, she was 90.
According to her son, many of the coworkers she had known through the years had already retired, leaving Melba surrounded by a newer generation.
There was also a more ordinary frustration.
Traffic.
The drive from her home to the store was normally fairly short, but congestion could make the commute much longer.
One day, Melba arrived home, put down her keys and told her son she was finished.
After nearly 74 years, the routine had finally reached its end.
In June 2023, friends, relatives, colleagues and community members gathered to celebrate her retirement.
Melba seemed surprised by how many people cared enough to attend.
"I didn't know I had so many friends," she told KLTV.
Dillard's honored her with a certificate recognizing her as its longest-working employee.
Matheny also offered a deeply personal tribute, telling Melba that she had been one of the most important people at Dillard's for decades.
It was a remarkable ending to a job that had begun with a teenager operating an elevator.
Retirement Didn't End the Relationships
Leaving work did not mean leaving behind the people Melba had met there.
Former coworkers continued visiting her.
Some took her to lunch, shopping or the movies.
Women still working at the cosmetics counter reportedly took turns calling to check on her.
Meanwhile, Melba also had plenty of family around her, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The relationships built during her working life continued after the paycheck stopped.
That may be one of the most revealing parts of her story.
If a career is measured only in salary, promotions or titles, retirement can appear to erase much of what came before.
But relationships don't disappear on the final day of work.
Melba's didn't.
Her Advice After Seven Decades
After 74 years in retail, Melba had accumulated plenty of experience about what makes work sustainable.
Her advice focused less on money than one might expect.
She warned against choosing work based exclusively on salary.
Money can disappoint, she said.
Instead, she emphasized finding something you're good at and surrounding yourself with people you enjoy.
"If you're happy with what you're doing, why not keep doing it?" she told CNBC.
That sentence may explain her career better than any statistic.
Melba didn't spend 74 years trying to break a record.