Happy New Year, Wallingfordians! There hasn’t been a lot of love heaped on the USPS since that DeJoy fellow took over during the Dark Times. And I know from personal experience that mail delivery around here can be an adventure, if it happens at all. But our neighbor Mary posted this really lovely tribute to her longtime mail carrier over on Facebook, and I asked her if we could post it here as well. It’s a reminder, for an upcoming year that is sure to try the patience and good will in all of us, that there are dedicated and caring people out there who do the hard work and don’t get enough thanks, or love, or even recognition. Lots of good people. Maybe it would be an apt resolution to tell those folks: thank you, for all that you do.
NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS — between 42nd and Gas Works Park, between Stone Way and Corliss, and those who have postmen from the 47th Street station, and to the USPS team at 47th Street:
I have some sad news to share. Our mailman, Steve, beloved by the neighborhood because of the tremendous care that he took for us over 29 years and 10 1/2 months as our mailman, has passed away. Steve delivered his last mail on November 16. He fell ill and quickly succumbed to cancer.
It was a tremendous honor for a small group of neighbors at or near his residence on Meridian to help him during his last few weeks. Steve could keep people at arms length, and was very private, but he was also the kind of guy who had an auto delivery from Chewy for dog treats, it turns out. He would check in on all the dogs on his route regularly, as well as ask after every child, possibly grown over the years and moved away, but still he asked to find out how they were doing at households around his route.
Steve took care of us for nearly 30 years, in some of the most important aspects of our lives. From deliveries of packages, special things, badly needed things like prescriptions and parts for repairs in our homes and gifts from friends and family, to the most important mail like financial and personal things that were critical to how we each are able to run our own lives, he understood these things were critical and made sure they were properly delivered and safe.
For years after having Steve as our mailman, when online arguments would complain yet again at how USPS was late, poorly run, just bad etc, I would say emphatically things like: “Our mailman is killing it, and frankly so are the rest of them because he couldn’t do it on his own. He had an entire system of packages and letters backing him up. And unlike the breakage at UPS or the expense of FedEx.. USPS was amazing. Doing it day in and day out.” The tone of those social media comments would change dramatically after these statements because I wanted people to know that the USPS, the guys you see delivering, they are really good at what they do and good people. My last-mile-connection, Steve, was outstanding. His work ethic and conscientiousness, his civic duty, was tops.
He might text a photo of a box and ask what to do about what he could tell was fragile or valuable or I would send him a pic of an expected thing. As soon as we moved into the neighborhood within a few months, I had already given him the code to our front door because I could tell that I could trust him and he was doing it right. Very good boundaries and super integrity. He would place packages inside even when we were out of town after texting and confirming that that’s what I wanted. It speaks to the trust we all had in Steve because of the wonderful job he did for us. Getting everything right and making sure things were safe.
So much trust. In both directions.
Steve’s route was 14 to 16 miles a day and he seemed to have not an ounce of body fat. He was dedicated to eating raw and healthy, though I would bring him a plate of freshly grilled salmon now and then and the delight on his face! He was all about keeping chemicals at bay.
He was a distance biker and hiked, and traveled to beautiful outdoor locations to do those things. Like Palm Springs, Joshua tree. The Olympics, the redwoods in California, Bryce Canyon, the Sierras, the Klamath area in Oregon, etc. He really enjoyed nature and at the end, told us he had his own relationship to the natural world and he was at peace with leaving this one.
It was shocking to find out how ill he was just a few days into this, because he had just been super healthy-looking, but quickly he lost weight and his appearance changed dramatically.
Steve was also clear that he wanted USPS and our neighborhood to be told after Christmas so it would not ruin the season or derail all the hard work by the 47th Street USPS Station folks.
After a phone call with me a few days ago, the USPS Station Manager asked me to come in yesterday when they told the 47th street team. I had wanted to bring them all of Steve’s shirts, hats, belts, head lamps and other things that would mean something to them, and left over packages of dog treats. When the Station Manager gathered everyone, as they turned away from vigorous sorting to listen, about 50 people, he told them about Steve, and there was a collective yelp and cry. Their dear friend, Steve. Then you could hear a pin drop. I told them about the box of Steve’s USPS things and shared how much he meant to our neighborhood, how every dog got a treat as they ran up to him, excited, and the care and how sad we all were. The trust we had together. Decades many of them had worked with Steve.
At the end of yesterday, the Station Manager texted me that they hung up all of Steve’s things around the giant room, to remember him. They are grieving and they can see him still in those shirts and hats, worn over years of service. I told him: I cannot get that collective cry out of my mind. He told me the same.
I can’t stress enough what an honor it is to be able to help Steve at the end for all the friends and neighbors who helped out. The medical team that supported him, and those of us who helped him with final paperwork and executing everything he asked for was a small bit to give back to somebody who had given us so much.
Steve was incredibly at peace at the end. He had a Zen face as he passed on.
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There will be an event for people to share memories and stories about Steve. For more info, please email [email protected].