Employees at the Antigo, WI, Post Office had a bit of extra mail to deliver to one of their customers last month — more than 13,000 cards, letters and packages.
They were destined for decorated World War II combat veteran Reuben Kolpack of nearby Birnamwood.
Prior to his birthday in March, one of his granddaughters wanted to solicit birthday cards from 104 people — one for every year of Kolpack’s life.
She posted her request on social media and word spread quickly.
Boxes at the Antigo Post Office filled up fast with cards, letters and packages, some with mail that had come from as far away as Australia and the Netherlands.
“I have a lot of good things and a lot of good memories,” Kolpack said. “I’m so glad I could serve.”
A USPS mainstay in the U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Thomas, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has a new postmaster — and he may be a familiar face to many in the area’s postal community.
That’s because David O. Stevens has worked for the Postal Service in the Caribbean for nearly 40 years.
The St. Croix, VI, native began as a retail associate and has held several leadership positions, including customer services supervisor, customer services manager and officer in charge. He also managed daily delivery and retail at St. Thomas’s Main Post Office and four satellite stations.
Carlos E. Del Toro, the Postal Service’s Puerto Rico-Caribbean District manager, administered the oath of office to Stevens.
A show of respect
After Mooresville, IN, Rural Carrier Travis Green died last month, his colleagues received permission to drive along his route and past his mother’s house. A video of the postal procession later went viral on social media.
Green, 56, worked for the Postal Service for 36 years.
Merv Hendricks, a local newspaper columnist, penned a tribute to the beloved Postal Service employee headlined “The final delivery.”
“Travis Green did so much more than deliver mail. He delivered jokes and smiles,” Hendricks wrote.
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