The average employee works at the U.S. Post Office less than fifteen years, according to Kelly Smith, a former mail handler assistant. Eddie Henley, who was hired by the Salem Post Office as a letter carrier on May 5, 1973, officially called it a career on March 30.
The Salem resident began his last day of work the same way he started each morning over the previous 44 years: with a smile on his face.
“My parents always told me ‘if you are going to have anything in life, you are going to have to work for it,” he said. “They grew up during the Great Depression, so they had a way of putting things in its proper context.”
Current and former co-workers spent last Friday morning commending Eddie on the job he has done over the years. Postmaster Tim Morgan addressed Eddie in front of everyone before giving him a framed personal letter from Megan Brennan, the current Postmaster General of the U.S. Post Office.
“Eddie is just one of those guys that’s a pleasure to work with,” Tim said. “You always knew what to expect from him every single day that he came in.”
Delmore Spangler, a Salem Post Office employee for over 25 years, has a tremendous amount of respect for Eddie as a worker, but even more for the family man he has shown to be over the years.
“He always worked hard and took care of the people around him, especially his family,” Spangler said. “Every customer that’s ever dealt with Eddie always has positive things to say about him. Yes, you take a job like this for the benefits. But the only thing that you really can take with you when you leave is the memories.”
Eddie, himself, credits his family for giving him the motivation to get up and go to work every day.
“My family means everything to me. They are the reason why I’ve been able to accomplish everything that I have,” he said. “I’ve been married to my wife Janet since 1993, and we both love our two children, our four grandchildren and our two great-granddaughters unconditionally.”
Eddie received his Million Mile Award – a walnut plaque that bears the National Safety Council logo – after 30 years of driving without a single accident. “That was one of the happiest moments of my life, and having my family there made it even more special,” he said.
Now that Eddie is retired, he plans on “doing whatever I want to do.”
“I would certainly say that I have an excellent relationship with the local community. I’ve delivered to just about everyone in Salem,” he said. “I’ve always treated people with the utmost respect because that was what I was taught. I now look forward to running into familiar faces throughout the city and catching up.”
