Terry McGeehan has addressed the letter, licked the stamp and all but sealed the envelope on his resignation from the 80443.

McGeehan is now 99 percent sure, that after 35 years of postal work, he will be stepping down as the popular Frisco postmaster at the end of the year to enjoy a retirement of skiing and other adventures.

“I’m just about positive (on retiring). But you know, I’m finding it’s a big step, trying to decide for sure, you know, leaving your customers you’ve known for 24 years of being there,” McGeehan said.

McGeehan, 55, got into the postal service originally because of his older brother. A postal employee at the time, his brother convinced McGeehan to take the postal exam with the idea that if he passed, he could go anywhere.

“That’s real appealing, being in the small town of Leadville for 21 years,” McGeehan said. “That’s the thing to do is get into the bigger city or, you know, go somewhere else. So I took the test and got hired.”

He worked in Leadville for a year before he went to Denver for seven years. McGeehan then took a supervisor position in Sterling and, in 1984, became Frisco’s postmaster.

“When the job came up (in Frisco) I really did want it, because I’m from Leadville,” McGeehan said. “It was the closest you could go to home without going home, you know? So when the job came up it was like ‘Wow.’ ... At one point I wanted to leave and get out of there, but once I left, I missed being in the mountains and the small-community.”

Coming into the homestretch of his postal career, McGeehan has temporarily left his position to work in Denver doing service reviews. He inspects the carrier routes to make sure the time to complete them doesn’t go over or under eight hours.

He took the opportunity as a chance to think about his retirement a little bit more.

In his absence, his wife of 34 years and the Winter Park postmaster, Traci, has taken over Frisco’s postmaster duties. If Terry retires, Tracy plans on applying for the position and keeping the Frisco position under McGeehan command.

“I knew the clerks who had worked there because Terry was the boss for a long time,” Traci said. “I know a lot of people from the area, of course ... and I hope it works out for me.”

If she does get the job, if and when Terry retires, it won’t be easy to fill-in for someone who has become a part of the Frisco community.

Knowing the postmaster is a great asset of the Frisco Post Office, said Frisco resident Miles F. Porter IV.

“If you went in there with a problem, he quickly addressed it,” Porter said. “And he would work the front desk, just like a regular clerk, filling in when they were shorthanded.”

Without carrier routes in Frisco, the community must go into the office to get mail, and the familiar face always helped out.

“It’s been like a little meeting place,” McGeehan said. “People come in every day and they see their neighbors and hang out in the lobbies and talk ... It’s kind of unique.”

Melanie Frey, the director of the Summit School of Dance, was among the many customers who will miss McGeehan’s presence behind the counter.

“Thirty-five years ago, Terry joined the Postal Service and took that famous vow that nothing — rain, hail, sleet nor snow — would stop the delivery of the mail.

Considering the odds we face here in Summit County, he has done a remarkable job,” she wrote in an e-mail.

“I personally would like to thank Terry for all his years of service to this community, and for the way he’s organized and run the Frisco post office,” she continued.

“Around the county, it’s no secret that the Frisco post office runs quietly, confidently, and efficiently, reflective of this postmaster. Lines are short, and counter help is pleasant. Even during the holidays when lines can get long, the atmosphere is generally enjoyable, encouraging locals to visit with the friends they tend to see less often through those cold winter months.”

McGeehan has been involved in the community outside of his job, participating in the Rotary Club, the church and the school system through his son, Jason, and daughter, Jennyfer.

“He’s just so committed to everything he does,” Traci McGeehan said. “It’s been a real experience just being involved in this whole community ... He’s a very social person, so he’s met a lot of people and kept a lot of friends.”

His commitment did come without facing one general obstacle of postal workers. McGeehan never quite had to live up to having “rain, hail, sleet nor snow” keep the mail from reaching his customers.

“The winter ain’t too bad, because we are inside,” McGeehan said. “The biggest challenge, sometimes, is getting our mail out of Denver because they have to come up by (Interstate) 70.”

McGeehan is now looking forward to that snow. He’s purchased a Copper Mountain ski pass, new skis and clothes, and is ready to hit the slopes full-time, Traci McGeehan said.

“I’m going to plan on sleeping-in a little bit and skiing all-year, all-winter long,” Terry McGeehan said. “I’ve never gotten enough skiing in since I’ve lived here, and when I retire I’ll be able to go everyday if I want.”

Even as he plans his winter of skiing, McGeehan realizes his life of work isn’t completely over.

“I’ll start working somewhere else, start another career,” he said. “I’ve been in this business for 35 years, and it’s been great to me and been a wonderful job, but I think it’s time to go out and do something else.”



Jonathan Batuello can be reached at (970) 668-4653 or jbatuello@summitdaily.com.