Ben Robinson/Courier

Liberty Post Office carrier Lynn Palmer, who retired last Saturday after 16 years in her position, said the friendships she made during her time as a carrier are what she will miss most.

By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter

brobinson@thepccourier.com

LIBERTY — After serving as a city carrier for the Liberty Post Office for the past 16 years, Lynn Palmer has decided to retire and spend her time remodeling houses.

“My plan after this is I want to flip houses, remodel houses, refurbish houses,” Palmer said. “I’ve always wanted to do that. And I wanted to be fit enough to do it. And if I work any longer, I will not be.”

Palmer, whose last day was last Saturday, started at the Post Office in 1995, working as a rural carrier substitute in Anderson. Then she worked in Liberty until a city carrier position opened in Abbeville.

Eventually she was able to become a city carrier in her hometown of Liberty.

“I really love working here,” she said.

Palmer treasures the friendships she has made on her route.

“That’s the best part of it,” Palmer said. “I’ve made lots of new friends, had lots of new customers. And the best part of this job is the family atmosphere at this post office.”

After Palmer’s husband, Randy, passed away in 2008 after a battle with cancer, she began to think.

“I just kept thinking he was so young,” she said. “He worked his whole life and never missed a day.”

So Palmer wanted to retire in hopes that she will have more years to enjoy it.

“I just wanted to go ahead and do something different,” Palmer said.

“I love all the people here and all the people I work with.”

Though the stereotype is for postal workers to have troubles with canines, Palmer reported she had no problems with dogs.

“I’ve been chased by dogs, but never caught,” Palmer said. “But I was attacked by a chicken. A rooster attacked me (and) tore into my leg. It was bleeding. It was actually funny, if you think about it. Not only do we have to watch out for dogs, we have to watch out for roosters.”

Later, when the postal customer offered to sell her some chickens, she offered to buy the rooster that had attacked her.

“I said I want that one,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I’m going to fry him!”

Palmer knows her position will quickly be filled.

“If anybody hears that there’s an opening here, they’ll want to come here,” she said. “This is a good place.”

Her job has led to a concern for the elderly in the community.

“A lot of times with elderly people, we’re the only people they see all day long,” Palmer said. “Everybody should always take time to think about the elderly. Take time to check on them.”

Palmer said in addition to working on remodeling jobs, she plans to work on her golf game and attend the flea market. She also plans to spend time with her parents.

Pressure on the postal job has increased over the years.

“When this building first started, there were only two routes,” Palmer said. “Now we have eight rural routes and two city routes. If it continues to grow, we’re going to need a bigger post office. We already need a bigger post office.”

She will miss her co-workers.

“It’s almost like these people here are my psychiatrists,” Palmer said. “We take out our frustrations every day.”

But mostly Palmer will miss her opportunities to interact daily with the people of Liberty.

“I have loved working at the Liberty Post Office,” Palmer said. “All the businesses in town are wonderful, and the people I work with are just fantastic.”