First Lady of Du Quoin Post Office Retires Today

The very fabric of the Du Quoin Post Office is so tightly woven into our lives as a community that the loss of any one or any part of it hits an emotional nerve. There’s an unmistakable emptiness. That happens today with the retirement of 31-year U.S. Postal Service sales and service specialist Mary Dehne, the very best of an historic service. Her entire career has been serving the postal customers of Du Quoin. “I started this job in April 1985 when my rural carrier said they were giving out tests at the Du Quoin Post Office,” Mary remembers. She passed and the decision to live and work here has been good for us all. Her career has spanned six Du Quoin postmasters--Earl Gum, Bill Pruitt, Bill Ross, Vicky Brown, Jim Davis and current Postmaster Steve Dinkins Her longevity is matched by only two staff members among the 18 at the Du Quoin Post Office--Steve Dinkins and Dean Craig. “I have enjoyed the people I work with and the people I wait on,” said Mary. The old manual scales, charts and postage rate tables are only a memory. Electronic scales tied to computers and software with global tracking abilities and arrival date forecasts are the norm. Even the stamps are eye candy. “Mail is more secure than the internet,” says Mary. From the time a piece of mail--a birthday card, a bank statement or a parcel--is handed to Mary until it reaches your mailbox the resources of one of the few federal agencies mandated by the Constitution of the United States follows its journey. The entire process stands accountable. “Everything you do on the internet is hacked into all the time,” says Mary. “They know your social security number and your banking information,” she says. Service is the hallmark of Mary’s career, instantly identifying the best and most affordable way to serve her customers. Husband Jeff of 13 years sees the caring in her life and eyes every day. The two best things in life are 1.) a coupon, and 2.) a birthday card that was picked out just for you, addressed by hand and placed in your mailbox. The internet can’t hold a candle to Mary and to the Du Quoin Post Office staff who spends their lives bringing meaning to the words “First Class.”