Retired postman reflects on career

One month and one week short of 33 years as a letter carrier, Mark Evans, 63, has seen it all. Wind, rain, snow or shine, Evans pushed on for the people on his route, six days a week. After a final delivery on Feb. 27, Evans has hung up the mailbag and is now officially retired.

Evans has spent the vast majority of his life in Creston, growing up and graduating from Creston High School in 1980. This connection and the changes Evans has seen comes directly with the people.

“There’s an ebb and flow to this town,” Evans said. “If you grown up here, you’re a part of that ebb and flow. It’s really simple to know how to navigate this town. What do I do when my car breaks down? What do I do when I’m hungry and don’t have a lot of money? You know where to go and what to do.”

Rain or shine

For years, Evans would rise before the sun around 5 a.m. to begin his day. Prayer, meditation, exercise and breakfast prepared him for the work ahead. These personal forms of discipline helped Evans manage the day, including an acceptance of harsh winter weather.

At 7 a.m., mail trucks are sorted per their route assignment, and Evans would find himself out on the street around 8:30 a.m. This would be where Evans would spend the majority of his day, owing some time for rest in a quick lunch break, something he describes as an “old-school mentality.”

“When I first started carrying, no one skipped lunch,” Evans said. “They would make fun of you if you skipped lunch. Now they all skip lunch. I think they make fun of me - I’m the only one that actually took my lunch.”

Early in his career, Evans would sometimes be called in as early as 2 a.m. for casing. This process, which involved taking mail delivered by semis to mail centers and sorting them based on city and route, would have to be ready by 6 a.m. so the mail could be delivered on time. When Evans would get home, he would then be called back in to deliver as a sub for a route.

Evans considers just one force of nature as his worst enemy during his time as a mailman, and it’s not the neighbor’s dog. If Evans woke up to a chilly rain, he knew he was in for a difficult day.

“As soon as you’re wet, you’re cold.” he said. “You’re cold all the way through, into the bones.”

By 3:30 p.m., Evans would be done, but not with Creston. He would head to SWCC to serve as a track and field assistant coach. In 2023, Evans would be named USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Serving others

Evans made his career around building a connection with the people he served. He said this process came naturally to him, owing it to his ability to spark conversation with anyone.

“I’m an outgoing person,” Evans said. “I love talking to people - I probably talk too much.”

The route Evans worked on were older clientele, which often means Evans grew up with these same people throughout his life.

“I’m 63, but some of these people are in their 80s, and they’ve been here their whole life as well,” Evans said. “I think we have an appreciation for each other.”

These simple connections build throughout the years as those who operated businesses retire and become a part of Evans’s route. Evans’s wife, Tracey, witnessed how those on his route opened their doors and built real friendships with Evans.

“They take care of him,” Tracey said. “They take care of Mark in the same way he takes care of them... Mark is the only person they see sometimes, especially during the winter months. The post office fulfills that service.”

Evans would go out of his way to check up on his clients, knocking on doors when he notices the previous day’s mail hasn’t left the mailbox. He actively learned the areas where they worked, and sometimes found it easier to deliver them mail directly.

“Sometimes I go into Hy-Vee to take a break,” Evans said, and recounted how he would notice customers on his route. “I say, ‘hey, I have a package for you. Do you want it now? I can just go get it.’ I just made a delivery while I was on break. Saved myself some time.”

The connections he built were downplayed by Evans as a part of the job of a letter carrier, but he recognized how important it was for him to stick to the route he was assigned. Some letter carriers work as subs for routes where a primary letter carrier isn’t available, which Evans did during the first part of his career.

Evans explained how he thinks of himself as a dedicated worker, wanting to make sure the job he does is done right. From serving his customers to honoring his faith in God as a Christian, Evans motivated himself to build a work ethic that would extend throughout his life. Meditation, prayer and passing lessons onto his children and athletes helped him push the ethic to a new generation.

Evans’s last day

As Evans approached his retirement, he set a few requirements. He would joke with coworkers about how he would retire as soon as his house was paid for, but it held an inkling of truth as he was approaching 62. His original plan was to retire in 2024, but Evans found himself enjoying the last six months of his career. He extended his time and decided to hold on for six more months with a set date on Feb. 27.

“It was the longest six months of my life,” Evans said. “Time just stood still. I thought it would never get here... Someone said it was because you actually set that date in your mind, and it was for real now.”

When Evans’s last day approached, several people on his route celebrated a man who gave extra time to those he served. Colorful signs and homemade gifts wished the letter carrier well as he entered a new phase in his life. Some children (Evans jokingly referred to them as “nerds”) would come up and greet him, wishing him well.

“They gave me a card, and all these signs were around,” Evans said. “Just talking to me and I couldn’t hold back. I started choking up - it was hard to get through.”

When looking at photos of signs on Myrtle Street, a community which was a part of his route, Evans could remember each one and the people who made it. Each location where they worked, his former teachers, even one of his “best friends of all time.”

Retirement

There’s one major point in retiring Evans looked forward to: his family. Evans said, due to the time being on-call for his job would take up, he would miss time for his children’s sporting events. Now, he can see his grandkids compete as much as he wants.

“That was a difficulty for the longest time,” Evans said. “I would skip lunch, skip breaks, run my butt off to get done at certain times so I can get home, get to all [my kids’] events.”

Even in retirement, Evans won’t give up coaching. He went as far to say that even if he retired as a paid coach, he’d find a way to volunteer his time.

“If I can stick around, that would be just one more coach,” he said, referring to his time at SWCC. With the extra time of retirement, he said he’s excited to be a stronger part of the recruiting process.

Evans hasn’t given up the idea of working; he mentioned potentially looking for a part-time job later. But, for now, he’s happy to enjoy the time off. Evans and his wife expect to spend a lot more time traveling.

In remembering the changes Creston has seen, Evans remarked on events held at McKinley Lake, with ski jumps and canoe races being an old tradition which hasn’t been restored yet. While he was disappointed in how some of these options for recreation have disappeared, he says there’s nothing that’s missing that can’t be rejuvenated.

No matter what, Evans believes in Creston and has believed in it across almost 33 years witnessing its development.

“Despite whatever problems it may have, [Creston’s] a good town.” Evans said. “It’s my town. If it was a living and breathing thing, I’m a part of it.”