USPS Employees Share Their Favorite Memories

USPS Employees Share their Stories From the Mailroom and Delivery Rounds

Thank you to the hundreds of USPS workers who shared their stories with us for National Postal Worker Day.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

This “motto,” engraved outside the New York City Post Office on 8th Avenue, truly speaks to the nature of US Postal Workers. They refuse to let anything stop them – they head out in the harshest conditions to deliver the 153.9 billion pieces of mail sent in 2016 alone.

In some rural areas, postal workers are the only daily visitors of the elderly, and often end up stopping to say hello to many long-term residents as they deliver mail. Postal workers have been known to save lives by calling 911 for a stroke victim, carry treats for neighborhood dogs, and remember the birthdays of children along their route.

Those who work inside the Post Office go above and beyond as well, helping individuals choose stamps for their wedding invitations, figure out how to mail a care package to a soldier overseas, and deliver mail addressed “To Santa.”

To celebrate National Postal Worker Day on July 1, we asked USPS employees – both past and current – to share their most memorable experience from their job with us. We received hundreds of incredible responses from all over the country.

Below, we’ve included some of the responses of our 25 winners who were featured on our Facebook page.

“I saved an elderly woman’s life once. She lived alone and had fallen and broken her hip and had no way of getting help but she knew I would be delivering her mail at a certain time of day so she waited till then. When she heard me she called out to me. I tried to get in but all the doors were locked so I went to her neighbors’ house and had them call 911. She recovered after a while. Said she had laid several hours before I came along.” -Darryl Ward

“When I was still a PTF city carrier, we ran express mail for the rural carriers. When I went back this long driveway one day and opened my door, four retrievers quickly ran into my truck before I even had a chance to move. I was startled at first, but the owner came out fast realizing I wasn’t the regular carrier to help me get the dogs out of my mail truck. He told me the regular carrier let them get in and gave them treats as they exited. That’s when I started carrying dog treats just in case. This I will never forget!” – Stephen Miner

“When my customer was waiting for his soon-to-be fiancee’s engagement ring to arrive via registered mail and found out it was out for delivery, he contacted me to make sure I delivered it NO MATTER WHAT!!! Getting that text message from him saying, “she said yes!” was priceless! I love my job because I love my customers!”– Robin Stephens

“For me, Working for the USPS is like having an extended family. The most memorable thing for me was when my son had a fire at his apartment, and everyone came together to help him. He said, “I didn’t know the people at the post office were so cool.” I know my office is!” -Terri Brosky Scatton

“I had a parcel for a German lady on my route on Christmas Eve. I arrived at her house and went to the door, knocked, no answer, so I returned to my vehicle. Before I got there I could hear a woman screaming from across the yard, could not understand her because it was in German. She was running towards me, excited and crying, grabbed me and hugged me all the while tears rolling down her face. Finally when she caught her breath she told me the parcel was from her son in Germany whom she had not seen for many years and thanked me over and over for getting to her before Christmas. Before it was over I was in tears also, it was the best day of my career delivering mail!” – Bev Carlson

“My most memorable moment was several years ago. I was sorting through the mail and found an old picture of a young lady – it had no name or anything on it. I put it in our patch up area where I sometimes worked, and a couple of days later I found a torn envelope, addressed to a local address. I thought about the picture I had previously found, so I looked up the name and address on the envelope, found a phone number and called the customer. I found out this 90 year old mother was waiting on this picture, cause it was all she had left of the memory of her deceased daughter. Instead of mailing it to her she had someone bring her to my facility to pick it up, she hugged me so tight and it took everything I had to hold back my tears. I thought it was over, but a week later I was called in the office, because I received a letter of thanks with a $5.00 check in it, I still have that check put up somewhere, it’s been at least 20 years.” – Lovenia Smith Tibby

Thank you USPS employees! Your hard work does not go unnoticed.

After a long career of giving back to your community, make sure you’re ready to enjoy the retirement you deserve.

Talk to a Benefits Specialist near you to request a retirement planning guide from MyFEDBenefits today.