One of the faces at the Mansfield Post office will be greatly missed on June 1st. Phil Stevens, one of our wonderful carriers, is retiring May 31st. He has served his patrons with the upmost respect, going that extra mile, with many laughs, a lifetime of stories and many happy memories. Phil even went so far recently during recent floods in our area to take a very nice lady home after she lost control of her car. Phil is one of those people you are always glad to see coming in good and bad weather.
Phil is from the Hackett area and after graduating high school, enlisted with the US Air Force. His 20 years of service taught him many trades to carry on into his life after leaving.
Unsure what to do after, he decided to apply for a postal position. He was hired as a City Carrier at the Mena Post Office, but did not feel like this was a good fit for him at the time. He then worked for his brother driving a truck and other jobs before deciding to try the post office again.
Phil came back to work for the Post Office when Postmaster Bruce Tanner hired him for an open position at Mansfield. After working here for some time, a position became available in Waldron where Phil lived at that time. Phil then transferred to Waldron Post Office where he was trained to work all four routes there. Eventually, Phil was promoted to a full-time position in that office.
A couple of years ago, looking to retire soon, Phil liked the idea of coming back to Mansfield. Sabrina Ison, full-time carrier at Mansfield, who actually lives in Waldron, was looking to move closer to home. Both Phil and Sabrina pondered over the decision to swap offices, pros and cons, etc. before a final decision was made. Under the supervision of Mansfield Postmaster Bettye Barnes, Phil and Sabrina mutually switched their carrier positions between Mansfield and Waldron. Phil’s outstanding personality and caring attitude has since complimented our Mansfield Post Office crew.
Phil’s sense of humor, jokes, and witty comebacks, as well as bringing food goodies will be missed. He once told about two Great Pyerenes that wait for him faithfully on his route just to run beside him after putting mail in the box for fun. Famous quotes when thinking of Phil include – A wise Postal Worker once said “I’m out of here” and lived happily ever after”; A legendary Postal Worker has retired; A truly great postal worker is hard to find, difficult to part with, and IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET. Postmaster Mary Graber Seratt, as well as the Hartford, Huntington, and Mansfield Post Office crews all agree that it has been a real pleasure and honor to work with Phil.
Phil and his wife Dee, plan on catching up on their to do list at home in Mena, as well as travel, and just enjoy life. We will miss you, but wish you the best for the future!
Submitted by Sherri Keener
