By Margaret Carroll-Bergman — Correspondent
Letter carrier Alan Robidoux is a man of quiet strength and few words.
“The customers mean a lot to me. They are almost like family,” said Robidoux. “I’ve known a lot of them for many years.”
Yet, it isn’t only the humans on his route that Robidoux can claim as friends.
“Every dog loves him, and every family loves him. He’s my dog’s best friend,” said Molly Delehey, who lives on Robidoux’s route.
“That’s the magic of Alan.”
A fond sendoff
Delehey — along with Patricia Donahue, Liv Woods, and Amy Reichle — helped organize a November 30 neighborhood retirement party for Robidoux.
“He’s an integral part of our lives,” she continued. “He pays attention all the time.”
Nearly 50 friends from Independence and Alcott Roads gathered for a potluck goodbye to pay tribute to Robidoux, 60, who is retiring on December 27.
Robidoux started working for the Concord Post Office nearly four decades ago.
He’s been walking and driving Mail Route 5 for 35 years.
His route covers 20 miles, from the Colonial Inn, downtown up to Walden Street, and all the roads off Lexington Road and Cambridge Turnpike.
On a peak day, he’ll deliver mail to as many as 345 addresses.
‘The dogs will miss him’
“We’re very close to Alan for coming to our house for more than 30 years,” said Jim Hall, who lives on Independence Road.
“He always kept a box of dog treats with him in the truck. The dogs will miss him as much as we do.”
Being a letter carrier affords one the opportunity to stand on tiptoe and look over a person’s shoulder and watch that person’s life unfold.
“I see it, and I am a part of it, but not really,” he said. “The most joy I get out of it is to see people’s kids grow up and have kids of their own.”
Hall and his wife, Jane, moved to Concord in 1988.
“We have four kids,” said Hall. “When you think of your kids over 30 years, that’s a lot. He delivered mail when we brought our kids home from the hospital, invitations to birthday parties, and college acceptances. He delivered the RSVPs for our daughter’s wedding. He’s experienced our lives with us.”
Serendipity on the route
Robidoux met his wife, Carrie, also a letter carrier, when he was training her to be a substitute on his route. He has two sons, Joshua, who served in the Army until recently, and Matthew, a music teacher in San Francisco.
Although he never met her, Robidoux delivered mail to actress Kate Winslet when she rented a house on Mildred Circle during the filming of a movie.
He’s delivered everything from baked goods to cremated remains, and he’s done occasional wellness checks.
One customer yelled for help one day when he delivered mail to the door.
“She had fallen and broken her knee and could not locate her glasses,” he said. “I assisted her as much as I could.”
Bearer of good news
Robidoux has had anxious high school seniors reach out to him regarding their college acceptance letters. One tracked him down in his mail truck to see if her early decision letter arrived. It had. She was accepted.
Another had Robidoux read the acceptance letter to him over the phone while the senior was vacationing in New Hampshire.
“I have not read any rejection letters,” he said.
He’s read only two postcards in his whole career.
“One of them, I believe, was from one family member to another, and she signed it, ‘Now you know, and the mailman,’ and after that, I stopped reading them,” he said.
Liv Woods drove into the Concord Bridge parking lot during this interview and handed him a “lost dog” flyer. She lives along his route and was looking for a friend’s dog that has been missing from Maynard for two weeks.
Robidoux regarded the flyer and promised to keep an eye out for the dog.
“That happens a lot. People looking for cats and dogs and asking for help,” Robidoux said. “I am always available.”
