A decade at the West Jefferson Post Office has resulted in a lot of familiar faces for Dan Suggs. He’s worked behind that counter through thick and thin – customer lines, that is. Sometimes those familiar faces might be frowning because of a long line while other times sees them smiling broadly as they share a joke or tidbit about their lives with Dan. No matter the weather indoors, Dan would always have a smile and a friendly word.

Dan began his postal career 29 years ago as a rural substitute in Palmetto, FL. He had served in the Navy from 1971 to 1975, and then with the Navy Reserves, and was working different jobs until a friend in the postal service encouraged him to take the test. He passed and began a career that would provide not only health and retirement benefits, vacation time and a good salary, but lots of interesting memories along the way.

Although he started out in his native Florida, Dan transferred to Charlotte in the state where he had for years enjoyed vacationing. After several years in Charlotte, he went on to Kannapolis for 12 to 14 years where he would deliver mail to Dale Earnhardt’s mother, who was on his route. Dan came to West Jefferson from Kannapolis looking for a more comfortable position with the postal service.

“I was tired of walking in the rain and climbing stairs in one hundred plus degree heat,” he said. He would find a wonderful home in the mountains, not only with his farm in Helton but with the people at the West Jefferson Post Office as well.

“What I will remember most are probably the customers,” Dan said at his recent retirement party. “Working the window is kind of fun. You never know who you’ll meet, and you make a lot of friends at the window.”

“Everybody at the window loves you,” West Jefferson Postmaster Drew Martin told Dan. “We’ll miss you and we wish you well.”

Dan said what he’ll probably miss most is the organization of his day and knowing what he would be doing each morning. “But according to my buddies, I will soon be saying huh uh,” he said about that schedule. “They say I’ll like the lack of a schedule and routines, and I know I won’t miss the early mornings.”

The freedom to enjoy his farm in Helton, with Christmas trees and gardening, along with visiting his grandchildren will no doubt provide plenty of fulfillment to his days. He and his wife Angela (Angel) have six children between them and six grandchildren. He also hopes to spend more time with his father, who resides in a nursing home in Florida.

Walking is another activity Dan enjoys. He did much of it in his early days with the postal service, but for the past 10 years or so he’s been indoors. So he walks in his free time. “I liked walking then because I could eat anything I wanted and as much as I wanted,” he said. “I’ve gained weight behind the counter, but I do eat better than I used to and less.”

Dan’s co-workers and ‘boss’ Martin threw him a retirement party last week and wished him well. His friendly face and easy-going attitude will be missed no doubt by his co-workers but also by those many friends he’s made at the window.