Neighborhood surprises retiring mail carrier by filling mailboxes with presents

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

published 26 April 2021

On Brett Wittwer's last day at work before retiring, the tables were turned.

Wittwer, 69, spent 35 years as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, and was used to handing people packages. But on March 26, residents along his mail route were giving him gift bags and boxes filled with goodies. "It was crazy," Wittwer told Good Morning America. "It kind of brings a tear to your eye."

Most of his career was spent delivering mail in the Cincinnati area, and when word spread he was going to retire, people along his route used a neighborhood Facebook page to plan a surprise sendoff. They decorated their mailboxes with balloons, and filled them with presents and notes of appreciation. Waiting for him at the end of his route were several neighbors, standing under a "Happy Retirement" banner.

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One person there was Glenna Weber Stricklett, who told GMA she appreciated Wittwer's work ethic and how he was "always friendly." He was careful with packages, she said, making sure they were safely placed on front porches during all weather conditions. That's why when it was time to say goodbye to Wittwer, so many residents wanted to be involved. "It just kind of came together," Stricklett said. "And it's a nice thing to do for people."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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