Bonn retires after 36 years as a rural mail carrier
After 36 years on the job, Tim Bonn decided it is time to dedicate time to hobbies and leisure.
Bonn officially retired from his position as a rural carrier with the United States Postal Service, Oct. 31.
“I turned 59 on Nov. 3, and that was my birthday gift to myself,” said Bonn.
Bonn says he would work anywhere they needed him. He says he spent a little time working out of Conrath, but spent most of his career working out of Holcombe.
The first 18 years of his career, Bonn worked as a substitute. He says at first, one sub could run all three routes. So, anytime anyone in Holcombe took time off, he worked.
“Now, they have a sub for every route,” said Bonn.
When he worked as a sub, Bonn said he had a number of other jobs, such as driving school bus, refereeing sports games and milking cows. He says those jobs worked with his need for flexibility, so he could deliver the mail when needed. He says his wife, Sheila, also worked hard.
He says that is not the only change he has seen in the postal service, over 36 years. He says there are a lot more packages now, than there used to be.
“I can handle the parcels,” said Bonn. “Mail is mail. You get it delivered, however long it takes.”
Many of the other major changes he saw, were related to the management structure.
Over the years, Bonn says he has acquired a couple of entertaining stories on the job.
He says he delivered mail to one lady, who was an authorized dismount, because she was blind and struggled to walk. Bonn would take the mail to her door every.
“And every day, she would remind me to feed the chickens before I left,” said Bonn. “So, I did that for years.”
Six days a week, he would feed the chickens, and on Sundays, the priest would feed her chickens. He says employees would be reprimanded for doing that now.
Another time, right after school had let out, he opened a mailbox on his route to find three kids had put a rooster in the mailbox.
“As soon as I opened that box, that rooster...was coming out of there,” said Bonn. “Of course, right into my car.”
Bonn says the rooster clawed and pecked him, before he managed to get the bird out of the car.
As he was making his way to the house to complain, he saw the three kids laughing and knew they would get a strict punishment if Bonn complained. Instead, he pulled up by the kids, told them it was pretty funny and laughed with them, before telling them they were lucky he wasn’t going to tell their dad.
“The rest of the summer, I got flowers in the mailbox and cookies in the mailbox,” said Bonn.
Bonn says his final favorite story, was that of the three little pigs. When he was on his route one spring day, he noticed someone’s burning barrel got away on them. He ran to the door and told the lady her yard was on fire, and it looked like it was coming toward her house.
“So, we managed to rig up a hose,” said Bonn.
He said he started soaking down the house and got the fire around her house put out, but the blaze continued to grow and one side of the barn started on fire.
At that point, the lady said to Bonn, “Oh my gosh, you’ve got to save my three little pigs.”
Bonn says he asked her what he should do with the pigs and she told them to put them into her house.
“Finally, I caught them one by one,” said Bonn, adding that he put them in the lady’s living room.
He says he also managed to get the barn put out, since the hose was just long enough. A lot of land burnt, but the fire department arrived.
“The thing was, I was just covered in soot,” said Bonn.
He says he cleaned up the best he could, but every piece of mail he touched for the rest of the day, was black.
“Black fingerprints, black soot over everybody’s newspaper,” said Bonn.
Bonn says he had no way to call the postmaster and tell him what happened, but in the meantime, the postmaster received plenty of phone calls complaining about the soot.
“I came back to the office about two and half hours late,” said Bonn.
The postmaster had waited for him at the office and as soon as he took one look at Bonn, asked him what had happened. After Bonn told the story, he received a letter of condemnation, instead of reprimand.
Bonn says his favorite part of the job, was getting to know the people along the route. He says many of those people became friends, with some almost becoming like family and that he would do what he could to help.
“There are so many people that I miss,” said Bonn, adding many people would wave to him each day, or meet him at the mailbox.
One thing he says he definitely does not miss, is setting an alarm each morning.
Bonn says he has spent a lot of time in his woods since he retired, keeping busy hunting, putting up stands, making wood and clearing trails. He also enjoys spending time with his son, T.J., and riding his side-byside.
“Which is fun to me,” said Bonn.
His tractor, Ollie (it’s an Oliver), even gets in on the fun.
He says he has also been able to work on swampier land, since it froze hard this year, and there hasn’t been much snow.
He says, after watching family members work until they lost their health and then be unable to enjoy their retirement, he decided he did not want to do the same.
“I know it’s cliché, but I’m going fishing,” said Bonn. “A lot more fishing with my son.”
Bonn says he also plans to stay active in the Lake Holcombe Lions Club.
He says there are also places in Wisconsin and the United States, that he would like to visit.
“And someday, I have aspirations to tour Europe,” said Bonn.
He says he would especially like to visit the areas of his heritage and possibly meet some of his distant relatives. Beyond seeing the sites, he says he would like to experience the culture and the cuisine of the areas.
Bonn says he is also considering wintering down south, even if it’s just for three of four months, because he has never been a fan of the cold.
He also says he would love to get involved in theatre again, after over 30 years of involvement.
“I had a lot of really good roles over the years,” said Bonn. “I really enjoyed it.”
He says he has had the part of Captain von Trapp, The Beast, Captain Hook, The Music Man, and many others. Bonn says his favorite part of theatre, is that everyone wins, unlike sports, where someone has to lose.
“Not in theatre,” said Bonn. “There are no losers in theatre. Everybody wins. Hopefully, the audience, especially.”
Reflecting back on his time with the postal service, Bonn says he owes many thanks to many people. During his time with the postal service, Bonn worked with 13 postmasters.
“I was taught by some of the best,” said Bonn.
He says he learned not only the job, but the human aspect of being a rural carrier from those around him, including Merlyn Briggs, Cliff Hattamer, John Wesley and Ed Bonn Jr., T. Bonn’s father.
He also says he had a number of substitute carriers during his time as a rural carrier. Bonn says he appreciates all the times his substitutes filled in, when Sheila was sick for years, so he could be with her.
“There were so many times I had to call someone at five o’clock in the morning,” said Bonn.
He says, several times, the substitute took over mid-route for him, so he could meet Sheila at the hospital. Bonn says he would like to thank Randy Hall, Mischelle Hattamer and Savanna Larson.
“They answered the phone every time I called, morning, night,” said Bonn.
He says he will never forget that.
Bonn also says his family was an important part of his career, sometimes even trading vehicles with him when he broke down mid-route.
“I was surrounded by a lot of really good people,” said Bonn. “You cannot build a 36-year career by yourself.”
