Georgia Mailman Retires After 35 Years, Gets Free Hawaii Trip from Delta Airlines

A man retiring as a mailman for 35 years receives a special send-off from his neighbors and an even bigger send-off from Delta Airlines. Find out why his life's work drove his community to pay tribute to him in a big way.

A mail man’s last day at work, as he retired from a 35-year career, turned out to be a send-off like no other.

Martin Floyd has been delivering mail to about 500 houses in Marietta, Georgia for nearly thirty-five years and when he finally retired, he received an unexpected outpour of appreciation and not to mention, a surprise trip to Hawaii.

RIDE ALONG

It all began when journalist Jennifer Brett decided to document the efforts of the neighborhood of Marietta to show their love for Martin on his last day. She rode with him as he delivered his final batch of mail and saw how families decorated their mailboxes, gave him gifts and even threw him a party. She shared this all in a Twitter thread.

She would hear of stories of him picking up the newspaper and bringing it to the elderly or feeding the cats and dogs that crossed paths with him. He would also have a lollipop ready for the kids.

HOMETOWN CELEBRITY

Brett learned more about Martin’s career that day. More importantly, she learned about the simple ways in which the devoted mail man touched the lives of each of the families he served. Brett described him as a “hometown celebrity” to the Washington Post.

She would hear of stories of him picking up the newspaper and bringing it to the elderly or feeding the cats and dogs that crossed paths with him. He would also have a lollipop ready for the kids.

Along with the outpour of thanks to Martin, the neighbors decided to start a Go Fund Me page to raise funds a trip to Hawaii because he always dreamed of going

In one tweet, Brett highlighted the story of an 87-year-old woman who’s known Martin since the beginning of his career as a mailman. Now that she has dementia, her granddaughter said, she still remembers the guy.

A PLEASANT SURPRISE

Along with the outpour of thanks to Martin, the neighbors decided to start a Go Fund Me page to raise funds a trip to Hawaii because he always dreamed of going. And because Martin’s story has gone viral, thanks to Brett and his neighbors, Delta Airlines got wind of it and decided to lend a hand.

In a note Delta sent to Martin and shared by Brett, the airline wrote,

“Mr. Martin, you’ve touched many lives, helping connect those on your mail route to their families and friends through the letters you delivered. We too are all about connections; on behalf of Delta employees, enjoy your trip to Hawaii—we can’t think of a better way to kick off your retirement. Cheers.”

Martin couldn’t believe the blessing he received. “I’m so filled with joy right now," he said.

A HERO IN HIS OWN RIGHT

We suspect never in his wildest dreams did Martin think he’d be as big a superstar as he is today. He is living proof that more than the job it’s how you touch people’s lives that matters most. Martin did that for more than three decades and showed what a loyal and dedicated mailman he was. He is a hero in his own right.

Here are more tweets about how he touched others.

ON RETIRING AS A MAILMAN

According to an article in Ranker by Steve Wright titled "Things You Didn't Know About a Mailman," the average salary of a mailman is between $31k to $61k a year. Most of them are temporary employees whose contracts are renewed every year so companies avoid paying them benefits and retirement pay. It's unclear if Martin is one of these men but we're glad he received the kind of retirement perk no money can buy - the love of his neighbors. This would go a longer way than anything he can purchase using his retirement money.