POCATELLO – After 42 years of dedicated service, Pocatello mail carrier Lonnie Melton made his final delivery Friday, marking the end of a distinguished career with the United States Postal Service.
As he looks forward to retirement, Melton feels bittersweet emotions. He knows he will miss the many customers who quickly became his friends in the Pocatello-Chubbuck community he served for so long.
Melton’s path to becoming a mailman began unexpectedly. While working alongside his father, Gale Melton, at Mountain States Mobile Home Service in Chubbuck and newly married to his wife, Becky, a friend suggested he take the postal exam.
When Melton asked his dad for his opinion, he also supported the idea. Melton studied and passed the exam with flying colors, ultimately accepting a position as a mail carrier on a walking route in 1983.
Although the official job title is mail carrier, Melton always preferred being called a mailman, saying, “Early on as a mailman, I discovered who I am. I learned I enjoy serving people, and that’s what a mailman does. He serves his community.”