Letter carrier Josh Hefta has 162 stops on his rural mail route in Walsh County, North Dakota. And he’s gotten to know some of the people he serves, like 94-year-old Alice Paschke. She lives alone on a gravel road and would give him Rice Krispies Treats and a Coke during his midday stop.
Hefta started bringing the mail up to Paschke’s door to save her the walk, and when he knocked one day she didn’t answer. He kept knocking and thought he heard a faint voice calling out. He wasn’t sure what to do, but the mail carrier broke down the door and found the woman - she had fallen 20 hours earlier and couldn’t move or reach the phone to call for help.
Paschke credits Hefta with saving her life and he was recognized for his help with the Postmaster General Award, the highest award a mail carrier can receive. He says he’s honored and Paschke says she’ll never forget her “good mailman.”
Source: Billings Gazette