Mark delivered mail to Anthony for 20 years and was often the only company he had that day
A heartfelt moment has been shared between a postie and a dying man after 20 years of friendly exchanges. Anthony Jacobs, 76, passed away last week but not before getting to see his faithful, friendly mailman one last time.
Mark Miller has been delivering post in Pond Lane, Redruth, for around 20 years and was often the only company the late Anthony would have for the day. Anthony's daughter said the pair shared the same friendly joke and chat for two decades, adding that Mark "brought the sunshine".
"Mark has been putting a smile on his face for 20 years and has often been the company he’s had for the day," said Merom Jacobs, "Dad would always sit outside in his chair in the sunshine and every time Mark came round, my father would say 'you brought the sunshine with you’' and Mark would say, 'I tried my best specially for you!”
She added: "They’ve been having the same little joke and chat for 20 years. When my father was dying of bladder cancer and in a hospital bed in his living room, Mark delivered his post to him in his bed one day.
"My father could hardly speak, but he whispered 'It’s my friend who brings the sunshine' and smiled the most that I had seen in ages. I have the most touching photo of them together. It meant so much to my father that Mark brought him the sunshine one last time."
After her father passed away she wanted to give her thanks to the postman for his kindness and dedication over the years. "[Dad] lived quite an isolated life, not having much family apart from me, so the postman was the highlight of his day and often the only chat he had," she said.
"It was awful once he was too ill to sit outside his front door. Seeing the postman once more made him act like himself again and we had one last flash of his personality. He was so animated and happy, and called the postman one of his dearest friends. He’s very lucky to have had the same postman for 20 years and Mark has clearly had quite a social impact on his life."
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Every day we receive reports of our people going above and beyond in the communities they serve and Mark is yet another example of this. We are proud of the work our people do in the community, which often goes far beyond delivering mail and parcels."
