Letter carrier announces retirement: What neighbors do goes to the heart of so many

Ohio (USA) - It's over at the age of 59! Bill Buda delivered letters for more than three decades, traveling the same route most of the time. What awaited him as a farewell is touching.

Neighbors presented Bill Buda (59) with handmade greeting cards on his last day at work.
Neighbors presented Bill Buda (59) with handmade greeting cards on his last day at work.  © Screenshot/Instagram/blissfulbuda_

Because on 21 September, his last day at work, the letter carrier didn't have to rattle through the neighborhood's mailboxes alone. Buda's family accompanied him, daughter Alexa filmed the tour and posted the video on Instagram.

So far, around 700,000 people have watched Buda being celebrated on his farewell tour. Neighbors hung colorful balloons on their porches, decorated their front yards or made signs for their favorite mailman.

Buda told Good Morning America that community members kept asking him about his retirement. When he knew when the day would come, he put a note on the front door of all his customers as a reminder.

However, the 59-year-old did not believe that he would be given such a farewell. "After 24.5 years on this route, I must really have done something right. It was fantastic," says Buda.

Letter carrier Bill Buda worked eleven years in a row without being ill for a single day

Bill Buda was passionate about his job. He was hardly ever sick. According to his own statement, he once didn't miss a day's work for eleven years in a row.
Bill Buda was passionate about his job. He was hardly ever sick. According to his own statement, he once didn't miss a day's work for eleven years in a row.  © Screenshot/Instagram/blissfulbuda_

The US-American's career as a delivery man began in 1993. With two university degrees in his pocket and as a successful college basketball player, Buda actually wanted to make a name for himself as a professional player abroad. But a problem with his heart got in the way.

With the help of his father, Buda ended up working for the United States Postal Service, delivered his first letters on a Saturday and, 31 years later, distributed the mail in the neighborhood for the last time.

In all that time, he was able to watch the neighborhood kids grow up, check on the elderly and always had a sympathetic ear.

In his free time, Buda now wants to attend as many sporting events as he can and regularly visit his two daughters and his mother. "Now it's my turn," said the 59-year-old.