Neighbors Gather To Bid Goodbye To Mail Carrier, Dan Mose

When word got out that Dan the mailman was retiring, neighbors in Arlington Heights' Berkley Square subdivision chatted about what they were going to do to see him off right. "Dan is such a good guy -- we want him to know how we feel about him" was a sentiment echoed over and over after Dan announced his decision last fall. On Friday night, January 4, Tina and Terry Schaefer of North Chestnut Avenue hosted a party of over 40 neighbors honoring Dan Mose, who had been the mail carrier in this area for 8 years. "The original invitation list kept growing -- and we didn't even know all the people who came to the party -- word got out, and people wanted to come and share the moment with Dan. It was great to get to share this with all our neighbors and meet new ones. Everyone was there because of Dan," said Tina.

"It was a great send-off," said Dan, who walked around the party sharing ultrasound pictures of his first grandson. "This little guy will keep me pretty busy in retirement!" Dan told the group. His daughter and mom-to-be, Danielle, accompanied Dan to the party and beamed proudly at her dad and saw the remarkable outpouring of affection for him.

Neighbors asked Dan how he planned to stay busy and fit in retirement. He mentioned he logged about 25,000 steps a day on his route and hopes to stay that active in retirement. "Good luck with that, Dan," one neighbor kidded. Dan still plays baseball on a men's league and will be very busy once the season comes around again.

It was clear that in the eyes of this neighborhood group, Dan was the consummate mail carrier -- words like "reliable," "friendly," "caring," "nice," were repeated over and over during the party. "Dan knew everybody's names - and their kids' names - and their dogs' names, too," said Bea Salis. "We're going to miss him," said Vince Cafarello and his wife Collette.

The group was glad to have had a chance to say "Job Well Done, Dan. Thank You for Your Service!"