Scores of Bateman neighbors gathered on a closed block of Hillegass Avenue on Aug. 3 for an emotional and festive farewell tribute to their beloved mail carrier, Kerry Jones, who was retiring after 30 years with the postal service.
Summarizing his 28 years on the same Bateman neighborhood route, Jones said, “It never felt like a job,” although in recent years he had became increasingly critical of the postal service leadership for “forgetting that this is a service,” taking an increasingly corporate approach and wringing ever more hours out of an exhausted work force. In recent years he often worked double shifts to cover neighborhoods without carriers.
The beaming mail carrier was sporting a “retired” t-shirt at the six-hour-long Saturday afternoon street festival in his honor. Joining him at the festivities were neighbors of all ages and many of Jones’ family members, including his brothers, son and daughter, a granddaughter with a princess crown and a grandson dressed in a kid-sized postal uniform. There were balloons aplenty and generous portions of potluck dishes.
