It was an ordinary day. Not just any ordinary day...but, a bow-tie-clad dogs bid farewell ordinary day. On the front page of my morning LNP newspaper was the headline...At funeral, bow tie-clad dogs bid farewell. The story was about the untimely death of 53-year old Joani Sheaffer. The sub-headline followed with: "Customers: Mail carrier 'a beautiful person,' always with treats!" Now...I added that explanation point at the end of the sub-headline because I know just what a special person Joani Shaeffer must have been. Joani loved dogs!! The enduring cliche about mail carriers not liking dogs didn't carry over to Joani. She was a sweetheart to her dog friends on her mail route and she likewise loved them. The story in the newspaper brought back so many memories of years ago when my wife, Carol, and I lived with our three children on the 900 block of Janet Ave. in the Grandview Heights section of Manheim Township and our mail carrier was a fantastic guy known as Gary. Gary loved all animals, but had a special affinity toward dogs. And...they too loved him!! Our dog, Arnold" could hear Gary's mail truck stop in the next block!! No matter where Arnold was in the house, he would run to the front door when he suspected Gary was closeby. His tail would wag as he kept his eye on the mail slot of our solid wood front door. We had no window on the door, but Arnold just knew that Gary would arrive soon with our mail...and a bone or two for him. Then in the summer, we would open the front door and allow Arnold to wait for Gary on the porch. Our front screen door had a mail slot on it as well so that Gary could push a bone to Arnold through the mail slot. Didn't matter if Gary had any mail for the residents in the home...as long as Arnold got his bone. Carol and I, as well as our three children, loved Gary as well and appreciated his dropping off a bone EVERY DAY for Arnold. Well, today's story must have been much the same, but only with a different mail carrier. The newspaper's headline read: "Sheaffer and digs went together like letters and stamps." Joani recently died from complications following surgery on October 14. She was only 53 years old. And...she was one of the best and greatest mail carriers there every was...right up there with our Gary. She had worked for the U.S. Postal Service for over 30 years and kept boxes of dog biscuits in her truck. Wow...did that sound familiar after reading it! She delivered treats along with the mail to all the dogs on her route. I noticed that the treats were mentioned before the mail was in the article! Her route included Landis Farm, Parkside Estates and Hoffman Heights neighborhoods in East Hempfield Township. Soon after those on her route found out about her death, black ribbons were tied around their mailboxes as well as around the necks of the dogs who will miss her tremendously. The neighbors took up a collection to provide flowers for Sheaffer's service as well as a catered luncheon for her fellow postal workers. They also sent gift cards to her family members and a donation to the Pet Pantry of Lancaster in Joani's honor. Did these mail residents love her???? Many said, "They never had a carrier like Joani!!" One resident said "She would stop and play with her puppy Cavapoo Matches and give her treats." Another resident in the Landisville area said his mini Goldendoddle Darla would get excited as soon as she heard Joani's truck arrive, knowing she would be getting a treat. Another resident, Jim, said his French Bulldog, Hammy, would get so excited when Joani would arrive. Joani's focus was definitely on Hammy when she arrived with their mail. Seems that every dog on Joani's route knew her and the sound of the mail truck when it arrived. Can you imagine how much her bill for dog treats must have been every week? Boy....are those residents going to miss her!! And...I'm not taking about the human ones...although I'm sure they will miss her as much as their furry friends will. We went through the same spell when we moved from the Grandview area to a different home.
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