Whenever someone greets Mary Jane Kobus in the halls at Menifee Valley Medical Center, the first thing she volunteers is a smile.

She appears to have a little mischief in her eye, and yet she's also very engaging.

And she doesn't hesitate to volunteer a piece of her mind.

"If I had my way, I'd be here every day," she said, "but now my doctor won't let me."

Kobus is something of a legend among the staff and volunteers at Menifee Valley.

For 20 years, she's proudly worn her salmon-colored volunteer's jacket, working mostly in the Health Information Management Department.

In all, she's put in more than 14,000 hours at the hospital and, even at age 87, she shows no signs of wanting to give it up.

"I love volunteering," she said. "I love helping the hospital and I hope they like what I'm doing here."

A Michigan native, Kobus and her husband, Stanley, retired and moved out to Sun City in 1978. Five years later, Stanley was stricken with cancer and she cared for him until he died in 1987. The two had been married for 35 years and had no children.

"When my husband passed away, I was down and depressed," Kobus said. "I wouldn't go anywhere. My doctor encouraged me to volunteer, but it was a hard thing to do. I just wasn't ready."

Finally, the doctor got through to her. Kobus came to the hospital in February 1990 and it's been like her second home ever since.

In her role with the information management department, she goes through a stack of files, making sure they're in order, and assembles emergency medical charts.

"I've known her all those 20 years and she's like a mother to me," said Debbie Hawley, a physician liaison in the department. "She gives good advice and she's a darn good cook. She doesn't do it anymore, but she used to make fantastic banana bread and pumpkin squares."

Kobus once drove to work every day, but arthritis has severely affected her legs, knees and hip.

Now, she's forced to use a walker to get around.

"Up here, I feel fine," she said, pointing to her forehead. "But my body is telling me I'm old."

So now, a hospital van picks her up at a Sun City retirement home and takes her to work two days a week. In all, she spends 11 hours at the hospital.

"We love Mary Jane," said Claudia Roman, a release information clerk in the department. "She has a great sense of humor and she really brightens this place up. We consider a part of our crew, which is really like a little family."

Since she volunteered at the hospital, Kobus has devoted time to other community services. She once was a member of the Kiwanis Club and worked in a home for abused children. But working at Menifee Valley has been her first love as a volunteer.

"I think volunteering is a wonderful thing to do for someone like me," Kobus said. "It certainly has helped me. The people here at the hospital ---- they're all my kids. That's why they call me mom."

Then she volunteered another smile. For her it comes naturally, just like volunteering in a hospital.

Contact staff writer Jim Rothgeb at 951-676-4315, ext. 2621.