After 37 years of delivery, Sharon Smith is ready

to begin hobbies

After 37 years of devoted mail service to local Coast Range residents, Sharon the Mail Lady, also known as Sharon Smith, will be retiring June 30.

Six days a week, 52 weeks a year, Sharon has tirelessly covered the mail route between Siletz and Blodgett, following the length of the Summit Highway and Logsden Road and all arteries in between, logging about 152,000 miles and wearing out at least 11 trucks.

Since 1970, when Irvin Hobart, who had initiated the route in the mid-1940s, hired the 28-year-old as a substitute mail carrier, Sharon has traveled narrow, winding rural highways and byways that frequently are treacherous, especially in inclement weather. Gravel, potholes, mud, ice, log trucks and teenage drivers have provided her with challenges over the years, but despite all obstacles, the mail always has been faithfully delivered.

She has been run off the roads quite a few times, once in 1984 by a gravel truck, forcing her to wear an uncomfortable neck brace for four years. Nonetheless, Sharon continued to renew her mail carrier contract every four years. Obviously, the rewards of the job offset the dangers.

She has developed close relationships with people along her route and never has tired of the drive.

"There seems always something new going on, so I did not get bored," she said. "Even in bad weather (ice and a lot of snow) one had new challenges and pretty scenery. It was always neat to see how creative people are in building snowmen and things. What and where they would build?"

Her first official day of "freedom" is July 1, but Sharon does not intend to quit driving. She and her husband of 50 years plan to travel through Canada to Alaska with their grandson, Drew. When they return, Sharon will attack the sewing, painting and gardening she has put on the back burner for a number of years. It's been particularly difficult to fit her hobbies into her life the past two years since she has been without a substitute carrier.

Not one to be bored, Sharon knows she will enjoy not having to go to work six days a week. She plans to attend more local events and visit with family and friends, with whom she has been too busy or tired lately to spend much time. While she admits she will miss the friends, wild animals and scenery of her route, she looks forward to doing the things she loves to do - on her own schedule.

It's hard to imagine all the changes Sharon has observed in the past 37 years. For the majority of us, she is the only mail carrier we have known. For most, she is much more than a mail carrier, but a friend and link between far-flung neighbors.

June 30 will be her last day delivering mail. The following day, July 1, is an even more important date for Sharon and Jim Smith. It is their 50th wedding anniversary. Sharon's children are planning an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 7, at the Logsden Community Center to celebrate the golden anniversary and Sharon's retirement.

All of us on her route congratulate the Smiths and wish them well. We will miss our Mail Lady. Thanks for the memories, Sharon … and the mail.

Sharon says that a new rural mail carrier contract for our route has been accepted. Carrie Bostwick will be on the beat, starting July 2. She will be trained by the Siletz postmaster, so that she does the job correctly. Carrie will have some big shoes to fill.

Check it out

It's officially summer. That means the Bookmobile will be changing its route a bit through July and August to include Summit three times a month. Every second and fourth Friday (July 13 and July 27; Aug. 10 and 24) the mobile library will be parked next to the Summit Center from 1 to 2 p.m., then move up to the Blodgett Country Store to open its doors from 2:30 to 4:15 p.m. On the third Saturday of the month (July 25 and Aug. 18), the Bookmobile will be at the store from 10 to 10:45 a.m. and Summit from 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Not only books are available from the Bookmobile's collection. There is a variety of CDs, videotapes, DVDs and magazines stocked in the bus - something to satisfy every taste. The selection is vast and the service is friendly. The Bookmobile is definitely something to check out this summer.

Nashville resident Kathi Downing can be contacted at ramdown@peak.org or 456-4252.