A USPS mail carrier in Chicago’s western suburbs is preparing for his final delivery after being on the job for five decades.
The moment is bittersweet for Chris Malinowski and for his customers, who have become like family over the years in suburban Arlington Heights.
Malinowski told NBC Chicago he’s feeling a wave of emotions about retirement. He has spent 54 years working for USPS, with 52 of those years spent on the same route.
“August 1st will be my last day on the route,” he said. “[I’m feeling] mixed emotions—this is my family.”
He started delivering mail in the Arlington Heights neighborhood in 1973.
