Steamboat Springs — JoAnn Lombardi, 81, stepped out of her white Subaru Outback one morning last week on Routt County Road 29 right next to a row of mailboxes right where Trout Creek tumbles out of the foothills of the Flat Tops mountain range. The longtime rural mail carrier handed rancher Bernard Knott an “If it fits, it ships” parcel, probably for the last time.
After delivering the mail on the same little rural route for 47 years, Lombardi is retiring. Her last day is Monday.
Lombardi and Knott briefly reminisced about the time Knott came to Lombardi’s rescue with a team of draft horses and pulled her old Toyota Land Cruiser out of a snowbank.
“I didn’t really go in the ditch,” she recalled. “I didn’t land on my roof or anything. Bernard was in the field feeding cattle, so he unhitched the team and pulled me out.”
via Rural mail carrier has been making her rounds for 47 years | Steamboat Pilot & Today.
I thought the same thing Leland lol
One of those roads u can do that on prolly. Been there, done that
Lol
Maybe she is getting her own mail….
Any one of us and we’d be fired for delivering on the wrong side….nope lets praise how not to do it and get rewarded…
Still doing it wrong after all those years lol
this foto shews her serving the wrong side of the road
I was wondering that too Tracy Wagoner.
Lisa Heaton…… 47?!
Um, why is she driving against the flow of traffic?
At first I thought that the picture was flipped (like in the “old days” when they had to be careful to put photo negatives the correct way before making a print). But then I saw that the flag is on the correct side, so she’s definitely going the wrong way.
Looking at the so called road, it probably is a driveway for houses at the end of it so not really the wrong way, wouldn’t be a surprise to me
Congrats to her. Am I the only one who wonders why she’s delivering out of the left side?
Who says she is delivering mail? Maybe she is at her own box getting mail out just for a photo op? Photo ops do not always match the story or pic- just saying….only us rural carriers would notice this LOL
God bless her! Happy retirement!!!!
RaeLynn this will be u! 47 years lol
She is, read the story.
Why she can’t retire and let somebody else work? YOLO!
If she’s still physically able to do the job and enjoys it why complain about her working. I, myself, can’t see working till you are 81, retire and enjoy life before you die. But, if that’s what she enjoys then bless her heart for still being able to do it at her age.
There’s hope for me! Don’t plan on going that long but, want to go long enough to get a decent retirement built up. 🙂
God bless her for doing this job for that many years. Welcome to retirement and hope you enjoy the many years you have left:)
The amount of loads we are doing now…our bodies won’t hold up 20 yrs much less 47…the way they overworking us now, we all going out for workers comp disability
o*g this is going to me working til 81 lol
It also looks like her door is open and no seat belt!
22 miles and 10 deliveries twice a week – I’d be able to do that 47 years too!
o*g. 81. o*g.
Amie Davis
It looks very rural & maybe it is far enough between boxes that she must get back in the left seat. I guess if the mailbox is in the driveway (and not the road) it can be served from that side.
Congrats!
Congrats!!
Don lol
It looks like there’s a drop off on the right side of the road. That is also a private driveway.
Happy retirement, you earned it?
My body will never make it that long.
I doubt that pic was taken when she was delivering, theres a kid/person in the back seat. Anyway, kudos to her for lasting this long.
Time to retire I think
Wow!
God Bless congrats on your retirement
my body can’t do it that long, o*g!!!
Why is she delivering from the wrong side of the road?
This is my future 🙁
now that’s a Lady. Awesome
I bet her customers will miss her like crazy…it might be rough for the next driver!
There IS something good about the USPO, and this Lady has found it. I knew it, I just knew it!!!
Congrats
Ya the reason the rest of us have to wait 9 years to become regular
Bless her heart but no way is be outta there!
I hope that was a staged photo for the picture cuz that is not how mail is delivered! Person in car, wrong side of the road, door ajar, no seat belt……