Sunman rural mail carrier to retire after 30 years

(SUNMAN, Ind.) – Teresa Fledderman has arrived at work every day for nearly three decades with the same mindset: 

“Be Safe, Smile Pretty and Have a Great Postal Day.”

She got that advice from rural mail carrier Nancy Gutapfel shortly after being hired at the Sunman Post Office in 1997. 

“Nancy was one of the best carriers and had a great personable attitude who really took care of people,” Fledderman recalled. 

Nancy has since retired and is one of the many Sunman residents who Teresa visits with a smile everyday to deliver the mail. 

Teresa now has nearly 30 years of experience as a rural mail carrier in the Sunman community.

She took a brief hiatus to work in management at the New Trenton, Cedar Grove, Milan and Osgood post offices from 2010 to 2016. 

After six years in management, she had seen enough of that.

“I decided that I was going back to being a rural carrier for the rest of my career. I didn’t need the stress associated with being in management and just wanted to enjoy my job and enjoy my life,” Teresa recalls.

Nowadays, she delivers mail every weekday to a large portion of the Sunman area, including State Road 101, State Road 46, North Dearborn Road, Lawrenceville Road, and several county roads. 

Fledderman has provided first-class service while developing some close relationships with many of the residents.

“I’ve watched their families have births, graduations, marriages and other life events. I've always tried to acknowledge their milestones too. I didn’t want to just deliver their mail, I want to know who they are,” Teresa explained.

Teresa’s career is soon coming to an end as she'll retire from the post office on December 31.

A party was held this past weekend at the Sunman Community Park where Teresa and those on her route were joined together.

For Teresa, it was an opportunity to thank each resident she's formed a relationship with over the past 30 years.

“I want to let them know how much I appreciate them and how great they’ve been over the past 30 years. Their friendships have led to me truly enjoying my job,” she said. 

Many residents showed up to the party and they brought gifts and cards.

They also exchanged hugs and memories with Fledderman.

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The party was also an opportunity for the residents to get to know Fledderman a bit better as well. 

“I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, but I only see them for a minute each day. I want them to not be shy to come up and say hello if they see me out in the community in the future,” she said. 

Teresa is still on the job for a few more months but is looking forward to her next chapter.

During retirement, she plans to volunteer with various community initiatives and she also plans to get more involved in her daughter’s nutrition business called Sprouted In Strength. 

On New Year's Eve, she'll deliver mail for the final time and one of the last homes she'll stop by is Nancy Gutapfel's.

She'll make it there after 30 years of "Being Safe, Smiling Pretty and Having a Great Postal Career!"