Putting his stamp on Glenmont Retiring Glenmont postmaster Jim Suarez has become the town's adopted son over his 23 years behind the counter
For 23 years, Jim Suarez has been part of the lives of pretty much everyone in Glenmont. As the postmaster in Glenmont, it is Suarez’s responsibility to know everyone in town. Even as a person who didn’t grow up in the area, when he moved into the position of postmaster on Dec. 26, 1987, he quickly became Glenmont’s adopted son because of his warm personality, ever-present smile and witty charm.On June 3, Suarez will sell his last book of stamps, chat with his final patron, slide his final envelope into the appropriate mailbox and lock the doors to the Glenmont Post Office for the final time, retiring after a 23-year stint in which he feels he has been truly blessed.
“When I first came here, I didn’t know a soul, and now, after 23 years, everyone here comes to me to find out what’s going on,” said Suarez with a chuckle. “It has been a long journey, but I am so thrilled to have been a part of these people’s lives for the past 23 years. I have loved every minute of it. It is like a second home to me, and these people are like family now.”
Suarez, married to long-time wife Rosemary, said that the time was right for him to step down. At 63 years of age, Suarez said he is getting to the point where he wants to focus on other things in life, mainly his son, Jamie, who is autistic. He and Rosemary also operate a shop in a Navarre flea market, where they sell antique furniture, and a lengthy list of items, which he describes as anything and everything. Between the lengthy daily trips from his home in Massillon to caring for Jamie, he is more than ready to move to a new phase in his life.
From day one, Suarez has had plenty of memories from his adopted Glenmont family. When he first came in 1987, the post office was in an old, run-down mobile home. When the new postmaster’s leg went through the flooring of the trailer, he knew they were in trouble. When the toilet fell through, he said it was time that the post office be a little bit more adamant about getting new digs. Ten years ago, the village of Glenmont built a new post office.
Several years after Suarez began his stint in Glenmont, he began keeping a daily journal of all of the events of the day, and even recording the weather. Now three journals deep, these daily memoirs contain any and every major event, from floods to robberies, to the everyday, mundane activities of the daily grind, which stood out in Suarez’s mind.
“It was just a way to keep all of these wonderful memories together,” said Suarez. “My guess is that I will go back through them in 15 or 20 years and look back very fondly on all of the wonderful things that happened to me and to the people of Glenmont, Ohio. It’s at the point now when anyone in Glenmont who has a question about something that happened at some point and time comes to me to find the answer to their question.”
Suarez, is often referred to as the mayor or king of Glenmont, among other names. The names are given in love, from people who have grown to fully appreciate the man behind the counter at the post office.
“He’s made himself one of us,” said Carol Lundgren, who will temporarily take over the postmaster duties until a replacement is found. “He’s become a fixture in a small town, and has earned everyone’s respect and love. We will deeply miss Jim.”
The world around Glenmont has changed dramatically since December of 1987, yet it has remained, in many ways, nearly the same. The memories he has accumulated have been both enjoyable, enlightening and even sad at times, but when put together, Suarez said they create a lifetime of joy which he will never forget.
“People ask me if I am counting down the days to retirement,” said Suarez. “No, I am not, but they will get recorded in my journals. I look at it more like I am going to fade into the sunset. I’ve been very blessed to get to know a lot of wonderful people that I would have never known without this job. I’m also fortunate to get to work for 23 years in a place where I wanted to come to work every day, and much of that is attributed to the people of this town.”
The folks in Glenmont can undoubtedly say the same thing about the man who walked into their lives 23 years ago; a man who put his stamp on Glenmont.