Postal worker delivers more than mail

MARINETTE - Lynette Thonne's job involves a lot of repetition. She delivers mail to about 900 customers in Marinette every day. When there is a change in her routine, she notices. Thursday morning, something was different.

"I went into the Ludington apartments which is a senior complex and this lady's mail, I had noticed she hadn't picked it up the day before," said Thonne, a letter carrier. "I noticed that was kind of unusual."

Thonne says she let the building manager, Rose, know and she went to check on the woman.

"She was laying in bed when Rose walked in and when Rose walked in the apartment she said she could hear her calling for help," Thonne explained. "And apparently she had been calling for help a couple of days."

The postal service says the woman was unable to get out of bed and had been calling for help for at least two days. She was severely dehydrated, but grateful for Thonne's actions. Thonne has learned the woman's leg was swollen, but believes she will be OK.

"It gives me a very good feeling to know that it came out good. And to know that it was a result that ended in something happy, as opposed to so many things that can end up bad," exlpained Thonne. "I always joked around with this lady a lot too, so tried to put a smile on her face when i left her for the day. So it's good to know that she's still alive and i'll get to see her in a couple days."

While some might credit Lynette with saving the woman's life, it's not the first time she's helped out a customer in need.

"She pretty much said that I was her last hope," Thonne said. A little more than a year ago, while on her route, Thonne says she noticed a woman who had fallen on the ice behind her house. She was 87 years old and had broken her hip and wrist.

"Again, God put me in the right place at the right time to take care of this lady. God works in mysterious ways sometimes. And I'm just glad that I was able to help," said Thonne.

She's glad to help because when Lynnette Thonne does her job, she knows the words on the envelope are not just a name, she knows many of the faces they belong to.

"It's almost like you form a bond. It's like a work related family. And you can get close to people and really get to know them," said Thonne.