Hadley – On April 30, Margaret Colley will be sworn-in as Hadley’s newest postmaster, and Colley says she is here to stay.
‘I’m here the for the next six years, until I retire,? said Colley.
‘The residents can depend on that, and depend on me,? she said.
Colley has spent more than 26 years preparing for the post- master position and is happy she will now work permanently in the community she calls home. ‘This is great for me to meet my neighbors and people in the community,? Colley said.
‘I’ve always just passed through town on my way to work,? said Colley.
‘Now I have the chance to know the people I live with.?
In 1977 Colley started as a distribution clerk at the Lapeer post office. For the next six years she advanced from window clerk to juggling the bulky responsibility of business mail, and finally working as an acceptance clerk, before moving on a traveling path of Officer in Charge.
For the next 20 years Colley traveled throughout Lapeer County, filling in for postmasters who were on vacation. As Officer in Charge Colley learned the details of running a post office including stamping her name on regularly scheduled bookkeeping reports, purchasing, and employee relations.
‘I’m a take charge kind of person and here I get to do it all,? said Colley.
While rural delivery began in Hadley in 1838 to two locations, mail was delivered from Pontiac, on foot, only 12 times a year. The Hadley Township post office, first located in Postmaster John Mills? home two miles outside of town, then moved to the downtown area. An official postal site was finally established at the General Store. The second was a territorial service in Farmers Creek, established in 1837.
Since 1842, a new Post- master has been assigned to Hadley on an average of every four years. The current post office, located at 3481 Hadley Road, was built in 1960 under the direction of Postmaster James A. Mitchell, the only male postmaster since 1942. Since Mitchell left charge to Onalee Mitchell in 1982 the post office has seen two other postmasters before Colley.
To date the post office has no rural carriers and maintains 320 postal boxes for Hadley residents. In an average week Colley, with help from Saturday relief Melody McCrorey handles 7,000 pieces of mail and more than 85 parcels. Colley said she is more than happy to do the work because residents have to pick up their mail from their post boxes and that gives her a chance to get to know the people of the community.
‘This is a much smaller post office than any others I’ve worked in, which gives me the opportunity to spend personal one on one time with our customers,? said Colley.
‘I like that and I think the customers like that too.?
Colley, who has been married to husband, Chris, for 23 years has three stepchildren and seven grandchildren, says she plans on staying around.
The last time residents saw a permanent postmaster in Hadley was in 1992. Since that time Colley and two other Officers-In-Charge stood watch over United States mail, all under temporary guardianship.
Colley said she has no plans to change posts again until her retirement.
‘To have a postmaster change in a small community is unsettling,? said Colley.