Final delivery

Mailmen to retire Saturday

after decades delivering
By:Donna Lukiw
   After spending their workdays walking up Brooks Boulevard or neighborhoods around 13th Avenue, mail carriers Ray Walsh and Jim Manello are retiring from the Manville Post Office at the end of the month.
   Mr. Walsh has been with the post office for 38 years, while Mr. Manello spent the last 21 years delivering the mail — but both say they will miss their "customers" when they retire. And their customers — and co-workers — will likely miss them, too.
   "Ray knows everybody in town and he gives his time back to the community," Manville Postmaster Adam Fascio said. "And out of all the carriers here, Jim is probably the most well liked in the office and in the town."
   Mr. Walsh has worked in the Manville pPost oOffice for 38 years, doing anything that was needed before becoming a mail carrier. Beginning his postal office career in high school, Mr. Walsh quickly became a mail carrier after taking on clerk and dispatcher responsibilities.
   "It’s interesting being a letter carrier because when you had a problem, people reached out," Mr. Walsh said.
   Mr. Walsh said he met some of his customers when they were babies and now they’re parents with children of their own.
   Although Mr. Walsh could’ve have chosen any route in town because of the seniority he had in the office, he chose to stay with "Route 9" — delivering mail to the Brooks Boulevard homes.
   "It’s flat ground and the houses are evenly spread apart," Mr. Walsh said. "And there are only two or three steps leading up to the houses."
   Mr. Walsh said when he was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, the support he received from his customers was unbelievable.
   "When I had cancer people came out and made sure that I was tall right," Mr. Walsh said. "They would always support me and make sure I was OK, asking me if I wanted water or wanted to sit in air conditioning especially during the hot months."
   After his official retirement on Dec. 31, Mr. Walsh will be a driving instructor at Bridgewater Driving School and he will also continue his voluntary positions for the local charity for families with members suffering from catastrophic illnesses, MIKES for Manville, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event.
   "I will miss his storytelling," Mr. Fascio said. "For every situation, Ray had a story to tell."
   Families living on Route 6 — the stretch from Ninth Avenue to 13th Avenue — will also see a change in their mail carrier as Mr. Manello retires after serving 21 years in the Manville post office.
   "I’m going to miss his dedication to his work," Mr. Fascio said.
   Mr. Manello started as a clerk at the Manville Post Office when he was 40 years old after he had hitchhiked across the country, played in various local bands and otherwise.
   "I played in a lot of bands since I was 21 years old," Mr. Manello said. "When the band, "Midnight Sun," broke up, I went solo and then realized I would be wealthy some months and not so wealthy other months so I decided to get a real job."
   Mr. Manello said he will also miss the people on his route and in the office but he is taking the time off to continue playing instruments such as the flute and conga.
   "The people I work with and the people on the route, it’s like they became a family," Mr. Manello said. "And you get to know them through their tragedies and everything. It’s interesting."
   Mr. Manello said when he retires he will also enjoy spending time with his four grandchildren, reading books on philosophy, hiking and off-roading in his Jeep.
   Mr. Manello’s last day is also Dec. 31 but he said he will be taking that day off.