WESTWOOD, N.J.—Children followed him with cheers, and dogs barked familiar greetings, and letter carrier Ted Meisten said he would miss it.
Residents all along his route turned out to wish Meisten well on Jan. 2, his last day with the Westwood Post Office following an enviable 50 years delivering mail for the borough, 48 of them on the same route.
A lifelong resident of Westwood, Meisten graduated from Westwood High School, Class of 1970. He said he started working for the Westwood Post Office three days after his high school graduation.
To a News 12 New Jersey camera crew keeping up with him on his last day, Meisten said, “I was born and raised here. I’ve been here 68 years.”
When someone off camera yelled, “You’re not old,” Meisten said, “No, and maybe in mailman years it’s old, because I’ve been walking for 48 years on this route.”
He said, “I’ve seen probably two, three, maybe four generations of kids come and go.”
Without missing a step on his appointed rounds, Meisten observed, “People are great, this is the best part: fresh air, exercise, get to see all the people, get to talk to them, get to know them, get to know their kids, their dog, their house, their cars.”
And there were postcards for him, with his sunny likeness, celebrating “Ted.”
“Everybody wrote something on it. It makes me feel really good inside that people really like me … I can’t say enough. I enjoy it out here. This makes my day. If I can put one smile on one face a day I helped somebody,” he said.
Last year, Meisten was honored for being a longtime member of National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO. New Jersey Merged Branch 38 presented him with a gold card for 50 years of membership.
Mayor Ray Arroyo shared with Pascack Press, “Ted Meisten has delivered our mail since Jo Ann and I moved into our home on Carolyn Street in 1993. He’d been at it for 23 years before that, beginning his career circa 1970.”
Arroyo recalled that in 2013 the fiscal condition of the U.S. Postal Service was dire. Competition from private carriers severely undercut the service’s bottom line and there was talk of steep budget cuts, including the elimination of home delivery services.
It was against this backdrop that he wrote a letter to the editor “about our Ted.” He suggested we reprint it:
I work in Manhattan, so I only see my postman on Saturdays. I know he’s coming because the dog goes ballistic. He’s not much of a dog. But, pound for pound, his bark has ant-like strength. Unfortunately he’s a dog, not an ant.
I usually wait for Ted on my porch as he traverses the park with his sack of mail. He checks each piece before handing it over and then he and I check in on current events. And town goings on.
Everyone talks to Ted. He’s got a stoic, weathered face, chiseled from all that rain, sleet and snow, and a trustworthiness, grounded in his observable work ethic.
Ted is a sounding board familiar with the pulse of the town. He’s happy to give you a straightforward answer to a particular question, or just shoot the breeze: dealer’s choice.
Ted carries paper messages from the hinterlands (mostly bills, and warnings to “repent” or buy gold (or both) before it’s too late!); this while the NSA is data mining the Matrix…from Area 51.
His trade, in the age of instant messaging, seems like a quaint anachronism, like the Pony Express.
So, when I read about the Post Office possibly ending home delivery, the thing I will miss most has nothing to do with the mail I receive. It’s yet another lost opportunity for pleasant social interactions that seem too few, and far between, these hurried days.
Home sweet home has become a digitized, compartmentalized, sometimes lonely redoubt. Being on Ted’s route, these past 20 years, has made ours less so.
And had he arrived each Saturday on a pony… I’d probably miss the pony too.
Letter to the editor, Raymond Arroyo, 2013
Residents put their stamp on farewell
On social media, residents give Meisten a hero’s sendoff:
Michelle Capasso wrote, “Mr Meisten, enjoy your retirement! I will miss seeing you walking around delivering mail by school.”
Doe Ryti wrote, “OMG! He was our letter carrier!!! Best wishes for a happy retirement!”
Ken Kral said, “Good luck in your retirement, Teddy.”
Gail DeMeola said, “Best wishes for a long healthy and happy retirement.”
Jamie Savoy said, “I see him walking home from work almost every single day, he lives just down the street from me. Wish him luck on a well deserved retirement.”
Heather Cromack said “Congrats Ted! Best mailman ever! Loved seeing you around town while walking my dogs. Thanks for all the honks, smiles, and waves! Enjoy your well deserved retirement!”
Emily Ruth congratulated Meisten on his retirement, and said, “You were always a friendly face on our streets! People who didn’t even have you as a mail carrier knew you… like me! That says a lot about your role in our community. Best wishes!”
Liz Murphy, who grew up on Prospect in Goodwin Park, said she recognized Meisten immediately. “Best of luck to you in retirement. Such happy memories of you giving us your rubber bands.”
Isaiah Rosario said, “Ted!! Definitely gonna miss you. Thank you for being genuine, sincere, kind and big hearted and always being there for me and helping me and answering all my questions. I salute you!”
James Hodges said, “Ted has delivered the mail to four generations of my family on his route. It’s going to take some adjusting seeing someone else delivering our mail. Enjoy your well earned retirement.”
And if we might as well: Congratulations, Ted. Enjoy.