Editor’s note: The City of Pacific Post Office closed its doors for the final time on May 8. Before officially closing, Post Mistress Glenda White, who operated the Post Office as a contract business, delivered the following letter to Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier, thanking residents for their support.

To my friends and neighbors in Pacific,

I first saw Pacific while visiting my daughter, Beatrice, where she lived in a house on Wayne Avenue, just behind the Post Office. I loved Pacific from the beginning.

When Bea told me the Post Office and property were for sale, I approached Don Small with an offer. I bought the property at 11 Third Ave. SE, with the Post Office already running, taking over the contract on Oct. 2, 1992.

You see, I was born in a very small town in Arkansas. Pacific was small, friendly and moved at a slower pace, which was just what I needed at that time in my life. I remodeled the restaurant area for a gift shop and opened it on July 28, 1993.

I continued to operate them both until I retired in 2011.

From the first day I opened the service window, I found the friendship, kindness and later the respect that I now cherish.

When my health began to decline, I realized that I needed to make a change. Closing the Post Office wasn’t what I had in mind, but I’ve always heard that “life is what happens while you’re making plans.” I wanted to stay right here the rest of my life running the Post Office; however, when I turned 75, Beatrice helped me make the decision to retire.

I did not want Pacific to be without a Post Office. I know it’s important for one to be here, so I talked to Gui’s Market to see if they would be interested. The parking, and how little the Post Office paid were issues. The problem with most contract stations is the service the supervising Post Office gives its suppliers (that’s me). “If they don’t serve me, I can’t serve you.” That service has been missing since day one.

Making enough money is the second issue. They don’t compensate fairly for the amount of time open or work required. At first their service didn’t seem so bad that I couldn’t deal with it. As time went by and supervisors and the rules changed, it became impossible. They lost my paperwork time after time. Stamps were seldom delivered on time, and the mail for you, my customers and friends, was not timely delivered.

When I retired my grandson, Justin, took over the Post Office, but he had to deal with all the things I had to just let go or was used to as normal. Finally, we gave the Post Office our notice to close on May 8 and listed the reasons why. They still haven’t complied with many of those issues, and we continue to try and recover the monies due to us.

This letter is not meant to be a tirade against the (U.S.) Post Office or to give you my life history but to explain why I have closed.

When I finish removing the gift shop and my property returns to being my home, I will be able to step out of my front door, wave and say “good morning” to everyone. You can’t do that in a big city.

With my long list of friends here I hope you will always consider me your friend as well. This is a great little city, and I wish everyone the best of luck. This is the last postmarked letter to leave the Pacific Post Office, and I hope you will have good memories when you see it.

Thank you for being a friend, for understanding why I left and especially for allowing me to serve you.

– Glenda White