That's a lot of parcels ? McDowell retires after 38 years with USPS

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

SALEM ? Carole McDowell says she won?t miss the ice and snow, but she will miss the people.

During the 38 years she carried the U.S. mail on rural gravel roads in southeast Iowa, she was able to build friendships with people on her routes.

McDowell, who retired May 29, ironically ended her career where her life began ? in Salem.

Unlike many nearing retirement age, it was just a passing though until she had rotator surgery in September of 2014. ?My husband said he wouldn?t fix my vehicle anymore unless I retire,? she says with a hearty laugh. ?He encouraged me to retire.?

After working for Sylvania Electric and driving a school bus for 10 years, the West Burlington resident began her postal career with the Burlington post office, hauling mail to 500 customers on rural routes for over 20 years.

New London was the next stop where she drove 100 miles a day serving 400 customers.

She left her New London position so her substitute could have a full-time job and spent the final six years with the Salem Post Office.

Her Salem position brought her home as the Mt. Pleasant High School graduate was born and raised on a farm four miles from Salem. McDowell drove 84 miles a day on the backroads around Salem and had 320 customers. However, she also had to drive 30 miles to Salem to begin her day.

?I grew up in Salem, so this last position was like coming home,? she said.

Over her career, many changes have come to the U.S. Postal Service. ?The volume of letters has dropped substantially,? she reflected, ?but the parcels have increased. And now we also have scanners.?

The biggest obstacle to her daily job was not weather, she said, although noting that she feared the ice more than the snow. ?Vehicle breakdowns and flat tires were the biggest problem. My husband has been retired for 17 years so he could come and help me when I broke down. I remember one time the postmaster let me use his vehicle to go home and get another vehicle when mine broke down.?

Her retirement plans largely involve family time. She and her husband, James, have four children, 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. One of her first trips will be to Texas to be with her 39-year-old daughter who is expecting her first child. She also said she is anxious to do yardwork.

Leaving the postal service, however, is more difficult for her than one might expect. ?It has been a great job,? she concluded.