Maxine Mabeus, longtime mail carrier, retires

Maxine Mabeus has driven the equivalent of approximately 30 times around the earth. It took her over 30 years of covering her 85-miles mail route six days a week to accomplish this.

As of April 7, Maxine pulled her Jeep into the post office for the last time and is looking forward to enjoying more time with her grandkids, traveling, growing flowers and gardening.

Maxine married Rick Mabeus on Aug. 10, 1977, and they moved to their current location five miles east of Winfield. After graduating from Kirkwood Community College, Maxine, a native of Wapello, started her working career at the Louisa County Treasurer’s office, then became an assistant grain buyer at Oakville Feed and Grain, now Tri-Oaks, before temporarily retiring to become a stay-at -home mom to their two daughters, Mindy and Ashley.

After the girls started school Maxine again entered the workforce, but in a totally new area, she became a substitute rural mail carrier for R.R., 1, which was east and west of Mt. Pleasant. When she was asked why she chose a career as a rural mail carrier Maxine replied with a chuckle, “I have no Idea!” She added that she did have a friend who was a rural carrier plus there were a lot of ads for rural carriers at that time. So, she applied, and the rest is history.

She started as a sub for a mail carrier who took the week off after every holiday that fell on a Monday giving Maxine the chance to learn the duties of a mail carrier, which was a challenge. “This was before 911 street signs and house number and included Rattlesnake Hill. I didn’t know anyone in that area. Said Maxine, adding, “911 are great for training tool for training subs not familiar with the area.as well as for ambulances and fire departments.”

Maxine was a sub for five years before also learning Mt. Pleasant R.R. 2 and both routes in Winfield. In 1989-Maxine went from sub to full-time as carrier on R.R. 2 in Winfield. This route has some boxes in Winfield, but most are in all directions around Winfield. When Maxine first started carrying mail, she had to sort magazines, newspapers, catalogs and letters into slots, then pull them down and sort them into the order of delivery. “internet and electronic computers have changed the way mail service is handled. Now the letter comes in the order of delivery on a tray, and we would just have to transfer the tray to our vehicle, but we still had to put the other items in order. Thanks ton informed delivery Maxine said carriers can now check your mail and packages come into your mailbox. Scanner contains a plethora of information for consumers, adding there are a lot less letters due to autopay, but more packages.

Routes vary a lot too, At one time there were 250 mailboxes on Maxine’s route. “There is a route in Wapello that is 120 miles with 400 boxes,” said Maxine, adding there is one at Oakville that has many miles but not many boxes, people moved out because of the flood.” Maxine said a former substitute said there used to be a house every ¼ mile. But now he can go 2 ½ miles between homes. As the farms get larger the farmsteads get fewer.

During her years as a mail carrier Maxine drove a variety of vehicles which she provided. She said she drove at least 10 different ones. Her most troublesome mode of transportation was a Blazer that required lots of maintenance. Fortunately, Rick was able to do a lot of the required repairs which helped keep costs at a minimum for repairs.

One of the hazards a carrier must deal with is inclement weather and Maxine has weathered (pun intended!) it all. White outs, icy roads, deep snow, wind, rain, whatever mother nature dished out, the mail must go through. Some days of less-than-ideal weather might find Maxine stuck in a drift, and before cellphones walking was the only way to get help. One-time, before cellphones, KILJ was warning people that a hurricane windstorm was being tracked. “I pulled into a machine shed until the storm blew over. There were times when Rick would help her finish her route in his four-wheel drive pickup and other times, she only delivered mail on the blacktop. Those days were the exception as Maxine seldom let the weather dictate her route or mode of transportation.

“Sometimes I couldn’t tell the depth of the snow it was so packed. Thanks to having a cellphone I was able to call the road grader service to find out how long it would be until they would be there, and I waited for him to come rather than get stuck.” She said with the removal of fences blowing snow drifts differently depending on which way the wind is blowing There were times Maxine had to wait at her home for the grater to come open her road so she could get to work. She also remembers the time she got stuck on a Mt. Pleasant route and had to walk to a nearby house to call a tow truck. “When he got there, he couldn’t believe how stuck the car was,” Maxine said.

She also remembers the time, not too long ago, when she encountered a white out and she couldn’t tell where the ditches were. “I got too far to the left into the side of the ditch. A couple who was delivering Valentine goodies stopped to pull me out. It was bitterly cold and blowing snow.”

Weather wasn’t the only hazard Maxine encountered. She said she had too many flat tires to count and once, as she was turning into a driveway, had a tire come completely off the car. She said replacing brake pads was also a common task. She could get two days of deliveries on a tank of gas if she only delivered. When she made side trips, running errors or dropping Rick off somewhere. Of course, it took more gas. She was reimbursed for the miles on her route, but was on her own for the extra

Fortunately, her husband was able to do some of the work on her vehicles which helped keep repair costs to a minimum. He also helped Maxine deliver mail in his four-wheel drive pickup, and other times the weather forced her to deliver only on blacktop roads.

Maxine said dogs used to be a problem and she even had a goat butt her in the “you know where.” Once a disgruntled boyfriend put a dead animal in the mailbox. “It didn’t tun out the way he planned it, Maxine explained, A substitute carried the mail and saw the raccoon’s eyes staring at her. She shut the lid and took the mail back to the post office!”

Maxine said she has delivered some unusual items, among them chicks, bees, small tires and rims, but the most unusual item was when she was still a sub in Mt. Pleasant. “I had to deliver a box that contained cremains to a funeral home. They had to talk me into it, but now it doesn’t both me.” Postal rules are packages must weigh no more than 70 lbs.

Some of the cons of being a rural mail carrier. in addition to the above, include having to learn all the routes when you are a sub. Also, sometimes clerks must move or lose their job. Working Saturdays is also required unless you have a sub.

However, Maxine has a long list of pros that she enjoyed during her career as a rural mail carrier. “Making Many friends,” topped the list. “I always appreciated positive comments from friends” Watching kids grow up, the progress on new homes or buildings, watching the landscape change with the seasons, from fields as they wake up in the spring, summer color, harvest and winter where things Maxine enjoyed as she drove her route, as well as various forms of wildlife, from deer, pheasants, and wild turkeys to bald eagles

There were times when Maxine came to the rescue. Once she encountered some wayward cows heading for the highway and closed the gate. The farmer was puzzled as to who had shut it! People usually informed Maxine when they were going to be gone so she could hold their mail or redeliver.

When a bachelor didn’t pick up his mail Maxine told the postmaster to call his family and do a wellness check. “Sure enough, he had a heart attack on his tractor which he drove down to get the mail.” It was Dwight Patterson, a long time Winfield farmer.

Maxine said, “Rural carriers are a post office on wheels. We carry stamps, you can place your money in the mailbox and stamps can be delivered the next day. You can also mail a package this way.”

Maxine has worked under these post masters beginning in 1988 to present: Gwyn McCreight, Chris Klossing, Jo Eichelberger, Heather Trimble and Tammy Rauscher. Ed Westermeyer, a long time R.R. 1 carrier at Winfield, retired last year. Molly Buffington is the current carrier.

When asked what advice she would give someone looking at postal service as a career she replied, “Postal jobs have been around many years and will continue for the future. You will work with some great people, awesome friendly folks in the country who will help if needed. When you drive approximately four hours alone it is you and mother nature. You learn where folks live, how often they move and how the post office keeps forwarding their mail.”