For the past five years, local residents seeking to buy stamps, send care packages to loved ones away at school or serving in the military, or mail off their annual stack of Christmas cards, the smiling face behind the counter at the Kingdom City Post Office has been that of Marilyn Farley.
Starting today that face will belong to Rhea Horstman as Farley embarks on a new career as a full-time grandmother after 24 years with the United States Postal Service.
"My plans are to be baby-sitting my grandkids. That's the main reason I wanted to retire - I wanted to spend more time with them," Farley said Tuesday morning, her last in the office.
Farley said her two decades with the post office included a couple of substitute shifts as a carrier, although she worked primarily as a clerk at the Fulton office before making the move to Kingdom City almost five years ago. She said she first got started with the post office at the behest of some friends.