A funeral procession recently wended its way through Barboursville, WV, and City Carrier Assistant Jaeden Layne paused in respect.
A passerby was so moved by the young man’s deference that he snapped a photo and posted it on his Facebook page. “It was nice to see someone so young being so respectful,” he wrote.
“We need more people like that,” was one comment.
“Must have been raised right,” was another.
Angela Layne, the carrier’s mother and the postmaster of Ashland, KY, said “he didn’t do it for any sort of recognition. That is just him.” Indeed, the unsuspecting carrier had no idea he had been photographed.
The post was picked up by a private Facebook group, Memories of Barboursville, and more accolades piled up.
When asked why he thinks it touched such a chord, Layne was reflective.
“I think it’s just the respect. A lot of the time it’s disappearing from society now,” he said.
The carrier added that there’s a funeral home near his route and he has seen a few processions already, despite only having worked at the office for about six months.
“It’s just what others would want done for themselves,” he said. “Everyone plays a part in their community. Everyone there is to be respected.”
Miles to go
Texas 1 District recently honored a Dallas rural carrier for going the extra mile.
Roslyn Miles, who is based at Bent Tree Station, was driving to work in December when another driver ran a red light and struck her car, totaling it.
Not wanting to miss work, Miles — who wasn’t seriously injured — asked Jason Smith, the police officer who responded to the accident, if he could help her out.
“I told him that it was important that I made it to work that morning. I told him that if I didn’t, I was going to let a lot of people down,” Miles said.
Smith obliged, driving the rural carrier more than 30 miles from the site of the accident to Bent Tree Station.
On Feb. 8, Texas 1 District held a ceremony to commend Miles’ dedication. Participants included Dallas Postmaster Daniel Reyes III and District Manager Scott Hooper, who read a letter from Linda Crawford, the Southern Area vice president.
“Your actions made me even more proud to be leading the Southern Area team,” Crawford wrote.
“People” appears regularly in Link. Got news to share? Email us.
