The first mailman to deliver in Blackhawk retired last Friday after saying his goodbyes and holding back his tears.
Ken Tucker, an Antioch resident, has been delivering mail to the Hidden Oaks community in Blackhawk for 27 years, and he disliked saying goodbye. He said he is leaving the post office to join the rodeo trail.
“After 27 years of delivering mail, I have finally decided to hang up my spurs,” he wrote in a letter to his community. “(I’m going to) put on my boots and hit the rodeo trail. It has been a great ride that I have really enjoyed.”
“It never occurred to me that it was a job,” he added. “I have met some mighty nice folks; you know who you are. I have a lot of good memories of you and your families, watching your kids grow up and go to college and some have families of their own. And I can’t forget my furry friends.”
A small group of residents gathered at the Hidden Oaks gate when Tucker finished his delivery at 3 p.m. There were balloons, and a sign by the gate wishing him well.
They said he knew all their names and informed them of what was going on in the neighborhood.
“He’s been here longer than I’ve been here,” said resident Barbi Mencendiek. “He knows everybody’s name. He’s been here for so long. He’s a friendly guy. He’s part of the matrix here.”
“He gets out and says hello,” she added. “He’s always been good at his job. We’re sorry to see him go.”
Other residents echoed Mencendiek’s sentiment.
“We have been here for 25 years,” said Anita Soule. “He has been delivering mail since we moved here. It’s not going to be same neighborhood. He keeps us all connected as neighbors. He loves our kids. He watched them grow up.”
She added that he was the first one who knew that her daughter got accepted to UCLA.
“It’s a big packet,” he told her when he was delivering the acceptance package. “It’s a good sign.”
Tucker said he does not know how retirement feels yet because it is too early.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said.
But though he is leaving the community, he still believes he will see all of them someday on another path.
“I will see you down the road,” he told them.
