LOS ALTOS, CA — On Friday, March 31, 2023, Los Altos Carrier Esther Spoulos will clock in for the very last time after 34 years of Postal Service.

She won’t be leaving without a party though, there will be a special send off at the Los Altos Post Office, 1525 Miramonte Ave, Los Altos, CA 94024.

Spoulos started her postal career in San Jose as a holiday mail processer in the thick of the season in December of 1986. She went on to become a carrier in Los Altos in March of 1989 where she has stayed ever since, serving the same delivery route for nearly three decades.

Spoulos decided to join the Postal Service after encouragement from her father who was also a letter carrier. “I was going to Jr. College. But it just wasn’t for me. My dad told me the post office was hiring for Christmas help and I should take a test. I did, it took some time, but got called to come and work as letter carrier at Los Altos Post Office.”

Spoulos says she made a career out of it because she truly enjoyed her job “I love the walking, the meeting of people, the challenge. It was hard work, but I liked the idea of helping people, meeting people, and just being outside- even in the rain!”

Spoulos’s appointed rounds have been marked by many achievements including her status as a Million Mile Driver. As a Million Mile Driver award recipient she has driven a million miles without even a fender-bender after logging more than a million miles delivering the mail. She has driven the equivalent of 40 times around the globe, all without leaving the city limits.

Over the course of her career, she has seen a lot of change and has very profound memories of her time during service including the 1989 Loma Prieto Earthquake; September 11, 2001, attacks; the 2020 pandemic and the yearly NALC Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

She states the first three events were scary times that brought a sense of uncertainty. But as a U.S. Postal Service Carrier those events also brought people together and, in her role, she and her fellow carriers tried to deliver normalcy and stability the best they could in their communities. The yearly Stamp Out Hunger food drive on the other hand brought a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Spoulos will miss her customers and her daily interaction with her co-workers.

In her retirement she looks forward to spending time with friends and family, traveling, gardening, but mostly, she says, just enjoy life!

MEDIA ALERT: Please contact Kristina.Uppal@usps.gov to RSVP to Retirement or Interview with Letter Carrier Esther Spoulos

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