POST RETIREMENT

After 31 years, WL letter carrier Ken Egbert retires; community celebration at Adult Community Center

By Nicole DeCosta

The West Linn Tidings, Mar 13, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Ken Egbert, 56, said good-bye to the United States Postal Service on Feb. 29 after more than 31 years as a West Linn letter carrier. On Saturday, the community will celebrate his retirement at the Adult Community Center.

Vern Uyetake / West Linn Tidings

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Ken Egbert and his wife, Susan, sit inside Starbucks in West Linn and sip coffee before taking a leisurely drive over to Cannon Beach. The couple enjoy outings together, but this day seems particularly special.

It’s a Friday, and Egbert’s not working.

After 31 years, nine months and six days – not that he counted – working as a letter carrier with the United States Postal Service in West Linn, Egbert retired on Feb. 29.

He watched the post office grow from 10 to 35 employees, more and more names become hyphenated and Pottery Barn become one of the most popular catalogs delivered to West Linn families.

He made life-long friends and witnessed West Linn grow up along his route at the top of Salamo Road – and he grew up with them.

On his first official day retired, Egbert, 56, said, “it felt great.”

“I think he called me around 1:30 or 2 (p.m.) at work and told me, ‘this is very strange,’” Susan chimed in. “I’m a little concerned; he’s not somebody who sits around. But we have three acres, there’s always something to do.”

A celebration of Egbert’s postal service will be held Saturday, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the West Linn Adult Community Center, located at 1180 Rosemont Road.

“There’s people I already miss now,” Egbert said.

But, he won’t miss getting up at 4:30 a.m. to make it from his Molalla home to the West Linn office, located off Hwy. 43. Unless, of course, he’s going fishing.

Egbert took his job as a letter carrier seriously.

“I looked at each piece (of mail) that I delivered. There’s no reason to miss-deliver mail,” he said.

And he always wore pants.

“I don’t think it looks professional to wear shorts,” he said.

Through the years, Egbert said he’s gotten pretty good an interpreting handwriting. And he’d often recognize the clients on his route at the grocery store.

“It is so funny,” Susan said of when her husband isn’t in uniform. “They’ll have no idea who he is. Then he’ll rattle off their address to them.”

Since 1976, many things have changed.

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