Published: April 30, 2008 10:28 pm            

Mail carrier's final delivery a memorable one

Joel Corn knew Bob and Diane Neuls had a retirement gift for him as he made his last round as their mail carrier Wednesday morning. But what he didn’t realize is that everyone on the south end of Rio Vista Drive in Dalton had a special “thank you” — balloons and notes tied to their mailboxes.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Corn told the couple as he stopped at their driveway to speak a moment before finishing his route. “This is terrific. Everyone has been so good to me. It’s just too much. I appreciate everyone so much.”

Approximately 15 houses had colorful balloons attached with messages. Some said “Happy Retirement,” “We’ll Miss You, Joel” and “Good Luck,” while one simply had a smiley face drawn on it. Several people in the neighborhood taped “thank you” notes to the front of their mailboxes.

But the Neulses, who organized the balloon thank yous, wanted to tell Corn goodbye in person. They began waiting next to their mailbox just before 11 a.m. for his mail truck to enter the neighborhood.

As they waited, one woman drove by to say, “Y’all did a good job.”

Corn, who lives in Ringgold with his wife Faye, is retiring after 40 years as a mail carrier. He has served the Rio Vista Drive area for approximately 15 years. He plans to deal antiques and spend time with his four children and nine grandchildren.

“He’s so personable,” Bob Neuls said of Corn. “If you’re out working in your yard he stops to talk to you.”

Diane Neuls said Corn is more than just a mail carrier.

“He’s such a part of the neighborhood I don’t know what we’ll do without him,” she said. “I wanted to lift his spirits and give him a happy heart on his last day.”

Around 11 a.m., Corn made his way into the neighborhood, stopping at each mailbox to take his balloon and note — and of course, to deliver the mail. When he stopped at the Neuls’ residence, Diane Neuls gave him a hug, and she and her husband presented him with a small gift in a manila envelope.

“I always tried to meet them with a smile,” Corn said. “I tried to be family and friends, instead of just a mailman.”

        

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