CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A beloved mailman is celebrating his retirement, and his 65 years of service are getting the attention of local leaders.
Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell stopped by Ernie Topness’s retirement party to present a declaration to his friends and family.
At the party, she declared Nov. 29, his final day as a USPS worker, Ernie Topness Day in the city.
The declaration Mayor O’Donnell read said Topness’ years of service makes him the second longest tenured mail carrier in the United States.
She also said that Topness drove more than 3 million miles through the various Iowa weather conditions.
Mayor O’Donnell said she knows many people in the community have good memories of Topness through his years delivering mail on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
