When Diane and Jeff Foster of Fairhaven found out that their mailwoman for the past 16 years was getting ready to retire, they decided to do something special for her. As it turns out, they weren’t the only ones sad to see Rachelle Deneault hang up her mailbag.

Rachelle Deneault has been a mail carrier in Fairhaven for the past 35 years. The average neighborhood resident will wave when they see their mail being dropped off, but Deneault managed to create lasting relationships with the homes that she delivered to for a few generations.

“I would race out there to meet her because we always gave each other a hard time and got lots of laughs out of it,” said Jeff Foster. “Everybody loved her as much as we did.”

Get our free mobile app

Diane explained how, over the years, they would try to save Denault the trip of walking up  their pathway by meeting her near the street, and after 16 years of meetings, you get to know one another.

“These last two years have been brutal for her,” Jeff said. “She's Amazon, FedEx, and UPS, all in one.” To show their appreciation for her hard work over the years, they decided to present her with a handmade sign.

Plastered with UPS trucks, the sign read, “Happy Retirement, Rachel.” A small gesture that left Deneault with a lot of emotions.

“I was very excited and very surprised,” Deneault said. “I was on that route for a long time, and the people are wonderful. I got to see families grow over the years.”

Deneault’s official last day is October 30 and plans to spend her retirement traveling and enjoying her days off.

“I’m going to miss them all, my customers were wonderful,” she said.

Denault was bombarded with cards and well wishes when the news began to spread about her retirement, showing just how much her neighborhood appreciated her as a mail carrier and as a friend.

The new mail carrier for Fairhaven has some pretty big shoes to fill.

KEEP READING: Here are the best places to retire in America

More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420