Postmaster delivers retirement date
When asked why she is retiring as the Minneota Postmaster, Lois Verhelst took no time to search for answer. "Because I'm ancient," she joked. Not getting the answer you expect from Verhelst is a tradition that has defined her.
Just ask any locals who have dealt with her.
"You can't get a straight answer out of her", "Don't expect to have a serious conversation with her", "She's a smart-aleck all the time, but in a good way" are often descriptive phrases heard by those describing Verhelst. Even Verhelst admits it herself.
"Yeah, unfortunately I've always been like that," she noted, before laughing. The post office will be a lot less jovial after Sept. 30, Verhelst's last day on the job before she is officially retired.
"I filled out all the (retirement) paperwork in July," she said.
"My daughter (Kayla Bothun) just had a daughter (Ascher) four months ago. And I'm going to help Kayla with daycare." Verhelst and her husband, Mark, live in Canby.
They also have a son, Derek, who owns and operates Verhelst Trucking in Canby. Verhelst has been the postmaster in Minneota for the past six years. She also oversees the post offices in Ghent and Taunton.
"I will really miss the people in Minneota," she said. "And I will really miss the people I work with. I've always liked to talk a lot and I will miss visiting with these people."
Verhelst was born in Tyler and graduated from high school in Ivanhoe. "I originally went to Canby Vo-Tech for Food Service Management," said Verhelst.
"I was a cook at the school in Canby. That was back when you could cook 'real' food." Verhelst then switched gears and went from serving food to serving beverages becoming a bartender at Canby Municipal Liquors for nine years.
She then managed the off-sale liquor store for nine additional years there.
On Aug. 2, 1997, she started her postal career after being hired by the post office in Madison as a carrier. She continued in that role for six years and then spent an additional year as clerk there.
She then went on to work at post offices in Bellingham, Boyd, Canby and Granite Falls before being hired in Minneota in July of 2013.
One of the most memorable things for Verhelst during her years working in various post offices was playing Santa Claus to the children who mailed him a letter.
“I made up some different letters and wrote the child's name in red ink and signed them Santa and Mrs. Claus in red ink at the end.”
The letters would tell the child things like what was going on at the North Pole, the names of the reindeer, and how much Santa looked forward to the milk and cookies left for him.
“I really enjoyed that; it was so much fun,” the personable Verhelst said. “I probably mailed off 100 or so. That was several years ago.”
“Now, we have to forward the letters we get to the Cities and they send the kids a postcard from there."
Another memorable event for Verhelst has been the outpouring of members of the community bringing in goodies for the holidays for her and the postal workers to enjoy.
"People in Minneota are so awesome," she said. "The customers are constantly bringing cookies and treats in here for us."
Locals may consider Verhelst humorous, silly, or chatty, but co-worker Jessica Myhre had a much different one-word description. "Irreplaceable," Myhre said, without hesitating.
And with that, Verhelst was so touched that it rendered her speechless. And we haven’t seen much of her speechless before!