In these days of self-checkouts and Instacart and Amazon pick-up points, we don’t have as many personal interactions with the people making the world around us work smoothly.
Gone are the days of milkmen and more and more places are adopting “community mailboxes” instead of door-to-door delivery. The gig economy means that faces come and go as each Lyft, Uber Eats, Postmates, etc. joins the market.
Which is why it’s notable when one of those faces do stick around and why a whole neighborhood feels it when they’re gone.
Floyd Martin is 61 years old and has been the mail carrier for the same Marietta, Georgia neighborhood for more than 20 years.
He took the postal service test soon after graduating high school in 1975.
He’d already started a job at a bank when USPS finally contacted him, but the pay was twice as much, so he ditched the suit and tie.
When it was learned that Martin planned to retire, a group of neighbors decided that they had to do something special.
Martin’s route includes about 500 residents, so it took some work to invite them all to decorate their mailboxes and bring a potluck dish for his last day.
Over the years, Martin had celebrated tons of milestones and holidays with the family on his route.
One three-year-old girl even dressed up as him for her school’s carrier day.
As Martin drove along his route that final shift, people came out to greet him with gifts and well-wishes.
Even though four other drivers were sent to help him finish up his route, Martin still arrived late to his own party.
Too many longtime friends wanted to chat and hug by the mailbox, but Martin didn’t mind. When he finally arrived at the outdoor potluck in his honor, cheers erupted.
“Brought me to tears,” Martin told BuzzFeed News, “I’m a crybaby. I show my feelings.”
All in all, about 350 people showed up for his retirement party.
In the end, while the job has kept him fit, Martin just didn’t want to deal with the Georgia heat anymore. During the summers, his truck became a hot box.
Martin just wants all those friends he made to smile when they think of him.
His dream is to take a trip to Hawaii as a retirement vacation and the neighborhood wanted to help with that too.
They started a GoFundMe campaign so everyone could donate towards it.
Reporter Jennifer Brett followed him along his route that day and documented it all on Twitter.
That’s where the story went viral and more than just the neighborhood chipped in for the trip. As of this writing, the campaign has raised $26,966 on a goal of $5000 and Delta has offered to fly him for free.
That’s going to be one epic retirement vacation!
h/t: BuzzFeed News
