CRESTVIEW — Letter carrier Anita Fee says she’s just doing her job, but her peers say she’s an inspiration. Her supervisors say she’s an exemplary performer. The mayor says she’s a role model. And the U.S. postmaster general says she’s a hero.
Fee, who lost her right leg to cancer when she was 6, says getting around on crutches is a minor inconvenience that helps her do what she loves best: taking care of her customers. That friendly service and constant smile — along with her determination to succeed, despite what some may consider a handicap — earned her a second United States Postal Service district All-Star Top Performer Award.
Crestview Mayor David Cadle said she serves "as a role model for her fellow citizens by her work ethics, perseverance, commitment and by overcoming adversity.” “She’s very nice. Super nice,” Sally Beauty Supply employee Alfa Steele said. “Anybody who can smile and stay on the road all the time deserves to be recognized.”
“She amazes me,” maintenance worker Al McCary Jr. said. “It makes you put your little aches and pains aside when you see her at work.” “She’s an inspiration to anyone, whether you’re handicapped or not,” fellow letter carrier Sheryl Chestnut said. “If she can do it, anybody can.”
Fee, who served in the Holt and Baker post offices, transferred to the Crestview office in December. The job occasionally presents challenges — "Coming from a rural route to a city route, the walking has been a big challenge,” she said — but overall she enjoys it.
“I was a little nervous about coming here, but there are such good carriers here,” Fee said. “Everybody’s welcomed me. It’s a good environment to work in. Some people hate going to their work, but this ain’t it. I’ve been very blessed.”
Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan awarded Fee the USPS Postal Hero Award, which, Crestview Postmaster John Blair said, recognizes select postal workers whose service exceeds their job requirements.
During her time in Crestview, Fee has pulled a pregnant woman out of her burning house, extracted a snake from a customer’s mailbox, and has become an ambassador for area businesses, referring customers to various establishments on her route.
“I just think she’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” Blair said. “She’s awesome.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Peers, postmaster general laud Crestview letter carrier